As always,

Guest: You were so sweet and just what I needed to hear! Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you're still interested in it! Thank you so much!

JenScott: I know, but I'm back now! It's not as big a break as they do, right? Thank you so much!

THEMoDePo: No, please, YOU are the best! I'm so glad you liked it, I was a bit worried about so many "slow" chapters (I love them, but I know some people prefer the action, so...). Thank you so much for your patience and for being so amazing!

Darrinia: Hahaha, I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but i don't think there will be any Coopbastian (at least not romantically or sexually speaking) but I'm glad you enjoyed their moment. About the happy ending... I can't make any promises... I really can't! Thank you so much, guapísima! Thanks for everything!

Raiderva: No, I understand, you expected for Sam to have a greater gesture but I don't know, I think he really showed how much he loves Blaine in the way he has been taking care of him and how he's not hiding anymore, not even from Blaine's brother. Thank you so much for the support, sweetie, it really meant a lot! And thank you so much for reading and waiting!

Mildlifecrissis: I'm really really grateful that you like this chapter so much in spite of being so slow, 'cause I was not sure about it at all! You're going to read more about Cooper's own adventures in this new chapter, don't worry :) And yes, Sam can trust him to help him with Blaine, though I don't know if Sam is yet ready to delegate on him too much. And yes, of course, the Iron Man reference was for you, it was the least I could do! Thank you so much, for still and ALWAYS being here! Thank you!

Me-Me157: Sweetie, I'm getting the feeling you missed the last update, so I hope you read that one before this one or nothing will make much sense! Yeah, I know, Blaine took the news of Tina's death quite hard, but it was his sister in a way after all. and of course Sam gets what Mike is going through, as he wasn't that far from losing Blaine himself. Thank you so much, dear!

Guest: I don't know if those last two comments are from the same guest, but I'll answer them separatedly, just in case. Yeah, I could probably have used a more creative setting, but I think it's quite obvious how action is not my thing :) And yes, you will find tones of mistakes or things that could have been better, so get a lot of patience! And thank you!

Guest: Wow, so glad you're liking it so much! Thank you so much!

A/N: Ok, first of all, thank you all for your patience! I know it took me some time, but I'm over all the stress from work for a few days so I'm back! And hey, at least you get a pretty long chapter! I hope you're still interested in it and you enjoy it!

CHAPTER 23

Blaine found himself unusually alone when he woke up the next morning, but he was only mildly surprised, as he knew Sam and he was sure his boyfriend was feeling kind of guilty about spending most of his time in the office with him and had decided to go outside and lend a hand around the house while he slept. And knowing Cooper, he was probably wandering all around the house trying to asset everything was as secure as it could be and throwing out a millions suggestions a minute until nobody could put up with him any longer. After all, they both were responsible like that, and Blaine was glad too that at least they could be of any help, even if he was only a burden to everyone those days.

Sighing in frustration at his weakness, he decided for once not to wait until somebody came and he tried to sit up on his own. It couldn't be that difficult, right? Maybe he was not ready to run a marathon, but he could surely raise the upper part of his body and rest it against the wall, right?

But of course it wasn't that easy: just lifting his torso enough to sit up was hard enough, but then sliding enough towards the wall so he could rest his back on the wall became a nightmare, as his body didn't seem to want to cooperate. In the end he couldn't fully sit, but perch on the wall in a slightly uncomfortable position, and he prayed that someone would come to his rescue soon or he would end up with a nice ache on his back.

His eyes filled involuntarily with tears for a moment when he remembered who was surely not coming to help him, and that was Tina. He still couldn't believe they had lost her like that, without even having the chance to say goodbye. He remembered how she had cried after what they thought it was a real shooting at high school –what felt like a lifetime ago, instead of just weeks– and how she had told him that what hurt her the most about not being there with the rest of the glee club was not being able to say goodbye to him. And gosh, she was so right…

And then there was Cooper. Of course Blaine loved having him near; next to Sam, he was probably the person he loved the most in the world –and who loved him just as much, he knew that–. But Cooper being there… meant someone else to worry about. At least when he thought he was in Los Angeles he only wondered if he was in danger. Now he very well knew he was. And Blaine didn't think he could go on if something happened to his beloved big brother.

He was interrupted before he could dwell more into the loss and the fear when the door to the office started opening and Blaine hurried to dry his tears, knowing it was Sam before he could even see him, as he was the only one who would enter without knocking first. And he didn't want him to worry about him more than what he already did. Like all the time. And Blaine was so happy to see him anyway that he didn't really need to feign the warm smile he gave him when he finally appeared around the door and that was instantly reciprocated.

"Hey, you're sitting up!" Sam exclaimed with the happiest voice as he rushed to kneel at Blaine's side so he could put a pillow between him and the wall.

"And you don't know how hard that was" Blaine lamented, though he couldn't help but to smile in gratitude as Sam grabbed him under the armpits and pulled him until he could fully recline against the wall –apparently he didn't need to tell Sam what he needed for him to know, he realized with a chuckle.

"You could have waited for me, you know?" Sam said while tenderly ruffling Blaine's curls, and the latter could hear a bit of guilt in his voice.

"Sam, I can't keep depending on you so much, as much as I love it" Blaine said, marveling at the proud smile his words brought to Sam's perfect lips. "I need to start doing some things for myself"

"Maybe you should wait until you're actually able to do them" Sam only half joked, as Blaine was sitting in the same exact position he had left him as if he didn't have any energy left to move.

"You so love to know I need you so much…" Blaine replied, looking very satisfied of himself when he made Sam blush.

"I would deny it, but it's kind of true, so…" Sam admitted embarrassedly, though he still rested a tender kiss on the top of Blaine's head before sitting next to him. "Do you want me to bring you some breakfast?"

"In a while" Blaine answered, letting his head fall tiredly on Sam's shoulder. "I just woke up"

"Alright, but you'll be eating later, ok?" Sam threateningly said.

"I promise" Blaine easily surrendered –too easily, which made Sam wonder if there was something going on with him.

"You ok?" Sam asked, trying not to sound too preoccupied so Blaine wouldn't feign everything was alright just to stop him from worrying.

"Just frustrated of feeling so weak" Blaine answered dismissively, and even though Sam knew that was true, he also knew there was something more to it.

"Only that?" Sam asked, knowing sometimes he needed to insist a little bit more and Blaine would reluctantly open his heart. Fortunately, that was one of those times.

"I was thinking about Tina" Blaine admitted with the softest voice, and Sam's arm immediately closed around his shoulders so he ended up resting against the blond's chest –his favorite place in the world.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie" Sam lamented with a kiss to Blaine's temple. "I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better"

"You don't have to do anything, love. I was not the only one that lost her" Blaine reminded him, as usual trying to lighten his pain so Sam wouldn't worry too much.

"No, but we've had a few days to come to terms with it, while you just found out. And you were the closest to her, next to Mike" Sam reminded him, not wanting Blaine to lessen the importance of his pain. "You are going to miss her more"

"Did you ask Mike to come and see me?" Blaine asked, raising his face to look at his boyfriend's, but the serious expression on the blond's face gave him the answer he needed.

"Yes, I did, but… I don't think he's ready to talk yet" Sam sadly explained, avoiding to add how he thought Mike kind of resented Blaine for surviving because he didn't want for him to hurt more than necessary. "But you know what? Forget about that now, he'll come when he's ready. We need to worry about you now, so what about that breakfast you promised you'd eat?"

"One second. I want to do something first" Blaine enigmatically answered, quickly awakening Sam's curiosity.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I want to stand up" Blaine said in a soft voice, almost as if he knew the answer he was going to get and was afraid of even making the question.

"What? No" Sam immediately refused, and by the frown on his brow Blaine could see he really thought it was the dumbest idea ever.

"No?" Blaine repeated while he raised his eyebrows at his boyfriend, because when had their relationship evolved so much that Sam could tell him what –or what not– to do?

"No, it's too soon" Sam denied again, avoiding Blaine's gaze so he wouldn't fall for the puppy eyes he was sure he was already giving him. "You just said yourself how hard sitting up was"

"But now you're here, you can help me" Blaine insisted, his voice so full of hope that it was breaking Sam's heart to have to tell him no, even if he knew it was the reasonable thing to do.

"No, Blaine, it's not a good idea"

"Hey, since when do you get to decide about what I can or cannot do?"

"Since I became your boyfriend and the person that loves you the most around here" Sam answered with a tender but amused smile, knowing those were the exact words to melt Blaine's heart –and especially because they were completely true.

"That's playing dirty" Blaine expectedly answered with a mockingly annoyed sigh as he left a kiss on Sam's chest, but he was not ready to surrender yet. "But come on, Sam, just for a minute, I'm going crazy lying down all day. I need to do something so I don't feel so vulnerable"

Sam sighed in spite of himself, already knowing he was going to cave in. It was not just that it was extremely difficult to say no to cute little Blaine at the best of times –and him being injured and sad only made it all the more difficult–, but he could see that Blaine really needed to do it: he needed something to make him believe all his fighting wasn't in vain, and that he was still strong enough to overcome any obstacle that tried to finish him off. Something to stop him from feeling so vulnerable and dependant –and Sam knew he was being patient enough, considering his very independent nature, and how he had hardly complained even if he needed help for absolutely everything–. Sam could see the pain in his eyes and the need to do something for himself. And he didn't have the heart to deny it to him any longer, in spite of his better judgment.

"Alright" Sam finally relented with an exaggerated sigh, though just the impossibly wide smile Blaine gave him in response made it all worth it. "Now careful. You're not in full health yet"

Of course Sam wasn't going to let him do it on his own –he couldn't possibly watch Blaine struggle and not do everything in his power to help him, it was physically impossible for him–, so he waited until Blaine put his feet on the floor from the mattress –and that seemed such a hard task that Sam was really close to telling him to forget it, and only Blaine's determined expression stopped him from it– and once again he grabbed him under the armpits and practically got him standing himself.

Blaine looked like a newborn deer as he tried to hold his own weight once he was on his feet, so Sam didn't really move too far from him for a second, even if he was not holding him up anymore. He felt like just scooping him up in his arms and keep him there, safe and protected, forever but he knew Blaine and he knew he needed to do it, so he could only watch and be there for him in case he needed him.

"You okay?" he couldn't stop himself from asking when he noticed Blaine's knees start to shake with the effort.

"Yeah, just… hold me" Blaine's strained request immediately put Sam into action and he rushed to put his arms around his boyfriend's smaller frame, supporting more than half his weight that way.

"You did it" Sam whispered into Blaine's ear, not wanting him to feel like he had failed –he had stood up on his own, if only for a couple of seconds, after all!

"Yeah, I'm such a winner" Blaine sarcastically replied as he put his own arms around Sam's shoulders and let himself be comforted by the warmth and the tenderness emanating from the taller boy.

Sam's heart went for the other boy, whose sorrow and frustration were so real he could almost touch them, and before he knew it he was gently and carefully rocking their bodies together –while holding practically the totality of Blaine's weight against his own body–, his lips resting a soft but meaningful kiss just above Blaine's ear.

"What are you doing?" Blaine asked, his voice sounding a bit less painful than before thanks to Sam's loving actions.

"I'm dancing. With my dreamy boyfriend" Sam explained as he intensified their movements to make it clearer they were pretending to dance.

"There is no music" Blaine playfully protested, and even if he couldn't see his face because of their embrace, Sam could easily hear a smile on his voice.

Not wanting to break Blaine's illusion in the slightest, he started softly humming Heroes –the first song they ever sang together– on Blaine's ear, soft and sweet, and synchronized their moves to it until he felt Blaine slowly melting into his arms.

"You are a dork" Blaine said with a chuckle, but there was so much fondness in his voice that Sam knew he had reached his goal of making him forget about anything that wasn't them if only for a couple of minutes.

"I know" Sam answered, reinforcing his grip on Blaine's body just to feel him closer to his chest before resuming his whispered singing.

"I love you so much" Blaine murmured after a couple of minutes, not wanting to break the romantic atmosphere his perfect boyfriend had created for him but needing him to know how much he appreciated it.

"I love you too" Sam answered with a fond chuckle, glad that he had made Blaine feel better.

"Please, never leave me" Blaine shakily pleaded, and Sam was sad to see he was not talking about their relationship ending or something like that, but about the possibility of Sam dying –something that apparently terrified him to the core.

"I'll try my very best" Sam promised, knowing it was the best he could offer if he wanted to be honest, and his fingers moved to the back of Blaine's head to entwine with the soft curls lying there, and then he decided to lighten the mood for his boyfriend's sake. "By the way, with the whole apocalypse and everything I don't think I have told you how much I love your hair like this"

"Come on, don't lie to me" Blaine protested with a grunt, though Sam knew he was probably blushing at his appraisal. "It's impossible that you like this mess"

"I'm not lying, I really love your curls" Sam insisted, carding his fingers through them to prove his point. "They're so soft and cute. They make you look all the more adorable"

Blushing furiously and still not ready to leave Sam's strong and perfect arms, Blaine closed his eyes to enjoy the moment more intensely, hiding his face in the crook of Sam's neck to deeply breathe into his unique scent that never failed to comfort him in times of need, and they remained dancing in their embrace until a tired sigh escaped his lips before he could stop it and sent Sam into full protective-mode again.

"Are you tired? Should you lie down again?" Sam asked, obviously worried.

"I don't want this moment to end" Blaine confessed, not being able to stop his voice from shaking, even if slightly, which made Sam squeeze him even more strongly to him, moved by the intensity of Blaine's emotions.

"What about this: we lie down together and then I will hold you in my arms and we can pretend we are still dancing, even if it's horizontally and without any real movement" Sam suggested, and his heart warmed to no extent when his words made Blaine laugh for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

"You're so silly"

"Yeah, but you know you want to do it"

"You know I want to do it" Blaine admitted and for once he didn't even protest when Sam started lowering him onto the mattress again until he was completely lying down, and then hurried to lie behind him so he could spoon him with a strong grip around his waist, in a position they both loved and that never failed to make them feel better.

"You okay?" Sam asked, worried that Blaine might have made too big an effort too soon.

"Yeah" he answered, and by the way he snuggled closer to Sam's chest, the latter could see he was being honest. "Thank you for that"

"No problem, sweetie. I just want you to feel alright. You're the only thing that I have…" Sam answered with a kiss to the back of Blaine's neck, but something in his voice might have sounded a bit off because Blaine was immediately alerted that something was not right.

"The only thing?" Blaine repeated in confusion. "Sam, you okay?"

"Of course!" Sam answered, too quickly for Blaine's taste.

"Sammy…"

"I'm okay, Blaine, you don't need to worry about me"

"I know something is going on with you, and if you don't tell me what it is I'm going to imagine like a million horrible things that are probably much worse than what it really is and worry so much more, you know" Blaine explained, glad when he was able to elicit a small chuckle from his boyfriend.

"You're ridiculous" Sam said with a laugh, but Blaine could still see there was something bothering him, so he knew he had to keep insisting.

"Maybe, but I'm here for you too, you know. I'm not going to break" Blaine seriously answered, devotedly caressing the arm that was holding his waist until Sam couldn't resist it anymore.

"Ok" Sam surrendered, knowing that Blaine was right: he was the strongest person he knew, he was not going to break just because Sam shared his worries with him. And he knew he was not going to rest until Sam told him, so… "I can't stop thinking about what your brother said last night, how his flight ended up in Indianapolis and how this thing had reached that area too"

"And you're thinking about Kentucky" Blaine finished for him with sigh, not at all surprised about Sam's worries. "I know, I thought about that too"

"You did?"

"Yeah, I just didn't want to say anything in case you hadn't thought about it so I wouldn't burden you with it, but… yeah"

"So you think…?" Sam started, but the question died on his lips before he was able to make it.

"No" Blaine quickly assured him as he used the last ounce of strength left in him to turn around in Sam's embrace so he could look into his eyes and make him see he really believed what he was going to say and he was not just trying to make him feel better. "We know it's a possibility, but we already knew that. But it changes nothing, maybe it won't have spread so much to the south"

"Maybe" Sam agreed, though he didn't sound too convinced.

"Come here" Blaine said, this time being him the one to go into a protective mood as he held Sam strongly to his own chest, wanting to provide all the comfort the blond boy seemed to need. "I know you can't stop thinking about your family, and you worry about them, but look at you: you were in a coma and you're alive"

"Yeah, because you kept me alive" Sam reminded him, very well knowing Blaine was the only reason he had survived that far, especially the first two weeks since everything started.

"I think you made a good job with that yourself" Blaine contradicted him with a fond smile as he gently caressed the blond's long hair. "What I mean is they're as strong as you are and they have each other: if you managed to survive, they probably did too. Even if this thing reached Kentucky, of which we honestly have no idea, they will take care of each other. They'll be alright"

"You really think so?" Sam asked, his gaze full of desperation to believe what Blaine was saying.

"Of course" Blaine answered with a smile, just before tenderly kissing Sam's forehead in a comforting gesture. "They're Evans, aren't they?"

"They are" Sam agreed with a reciprocating smile, even if his was a bit shakier.

"Then nothing can beat them"

"I love you so much" Sam said, his voice full of emotion before strengthening his grip around Blaine in a stronger and grateful embrace.

"I love you more" Blaine joked, glad that he had been able to help, even if in the slightest.

"No way" Sam answered, with no trace of joking in his voice as he looked intently at his boyfriend's eyes as if he was mesmerized by them.

Sam slowly broke the distance between their faces and trapped Blaine's bottom lip between both of his in a sweet kiss full of gratitude and love. But that was not enough for the shorter boy, and when Sam broke the kiss, he followed him and captured his lips in a deeper kiss born of love and need. They realized they had hardly exchanged more than a couple of quick pecks since before the attack at the prison, and suddenly it was as if they couldn't get enough of each other, so Sam reciprocated the kiss with the same fervor as he tentatively entered Blaine's mouth with his tongue and sighed into it at how good it feel to rediscover Blaine's exquisite taste that he had missed so much.

They quickly got lost into each other's mouths, and it wasn't long before Sam was pushing Blaine into his back so he could climb on top of him, very careful so as not to let too much weight rest on him or touch his still tender wound. The slightly too warm temperature on Blaine's soft skin reminded Sam that he was not in full health yet by any means, but as much as he tried there was no way he could stop himself from needing to feel him so intensely. Only when he started needing some air was he able to break the kiss, but even then he seized the chance to trace a path of kisses down Blaine's throat, in that breathy and slow torture that he knew the smaller boy loved so much. And that time was no exception, Sam realized when Blaine loudly moaned before he could stop himself, but apparently he was feeling as needy as Sam himself and he gently pulled the blond's hair to get him to go all the way up so they could join their lips together again.

Sam was just starting to unzip Blaine's hoodie when suddenly the door opened without previous notice and Cooper entered the room as if he owned it.

"Oh my God!" Cooper exclaimed, covering his eyes with his hand as if the vision he had just seen had physically hurt his eyes. "Do either one of you know about the real meaning of convalescing and resting?"

Blaine loudly groaned as Sam abruptly climbed down from his body, but it was more from embarrassment and frustration than any real pain at the sudden movement. And besides, Sam's cheeks were looking so red that he didn't have the heart to reprimand him.

"And do you know how to knock?" Blaine protested while grabbing Sam's hand in his to stop him from moving too far away from him –as it looked as if the blond boy was asking for the ground to swallow him.

"Well, forgive me if I wasn't expecting to find my very little and young brother, who is at the brink of death on top of everything, sucking his boyfriend's face like that" Cooper replied, half horrified, half amused at his not-so-little brother's loving actions.

"I'm not at the brink of death!" Blaine loudly protested, very used to Cooper's melodramatic side. "And now you know what to expect, so be a good brother and leave so I can snog my boyfriend"

"He's right, B. You need your rest" Sam answered once he found his voice, deeply ashamed that he had gotten so lost in his urges that he had forgotten that Blaine was seriously injured –and, on top of that, he had been caught, by the boy's big and very protective brother nonetheless!–. "I got a bit carried away, but I'm back to my reasonable self now and I know you're not up to it, so no snogging for you, mister!"

"Uggh, you both are unbearable" Blaine complained as he took a pillow and covered his face with it in frustration, trying to ignore the other two's hearty laughs at his suffering.

"Come on, stop being so grumpy and sit up so you can eat the breakfast I just brought you, you need some nourishment in order to recover" Cooper said, more seriously this time, while nearing the bed to leave the tray he was carrying on the floor to help his brother up.

And as much as he tried, Blaine couldn't possibly stay angry at the two people helping him up with all the tenderness in the world. Even in a world like that, it still felt good to know he was so loved.

"Puck, will you stop looking through that window?" Artie said, his voice a mixture of amusement and exasperation as they hung around the living room, waiting for Unique to call them for dinner the next day. After all, it had been pouring and thundering for the entire day, and none of them seemed to be in the best of spirits.

Puck sighed before turning around towards the interior of the house. He knew Artie was right, and he had been peeking through that window more than he was willing to admit since they arrived to the house about five days ago. But as much as he tried, he couldn't bring himself to stop. Because if he had learnt something from the attacks both at McKinley and the prison, was that it was very dangerous to think they were safe just because they had a roof over their heads. Because they were never safe.

"Sorry" he half-heartedly apologized, even if he didn't have a reason too.

"Are you still worried?" Jake asked his brother.

"Yeah" he easily admitted, since he knew protecting the others from the truth wouldn't be wise in the long run. "There are more and more walkers gathering outside. I don't know, maybe they can feel we're near"

"That's impossible" Jake tried to protest.

"Is it?" Puck tried to make him see. "Then how come there were practically no walkers around when we arrived, only some stray ones passing every now and then, and now there are dozens of them practically at our door?"

"Maybe it's just chance"

"Maybe, but forgive me if I'm not that optimistic" Puck lamented. "I'd really like to get out of here as soon as possible. Smythe?"

"Yeah?" Sebastian answered, lifting his gaze from the book he was reading.

"You've seen Blaine more than us lately" Puck said, and Sebastian's heart warmed at the fact that everybody seemed to acknowledge his blossoming friendship with the former warbler, having forgiven him about the things he had done to him in the past. "Do you think he is ready to travel?"

"No" Sebastian rushed to answer with a sigh, as there was no way Blaine would be strong enough so as to make it to the bus without help. "He just started standing up yesterday. Although if you ask him, he will tell you he is ready, so please don't"

"Alright" Puck reluctantly agreed, and it was quite obvious that the waiting was frustrating him so much. "I guess we'll have to keep waiting"

"It's not like he is not trying" Sebastian tried to defend his friend against what he thought was almost an attack. "I mean he's so weak he can hardly sit up on his own, yet he won't stop trying to stand up and…"

"Sebastian, I know" Puck gently stopped him. "I know how stubborn the little guy is, and I know he would be driving the bus away himself if he could. I'm sorry if I made it sound as if I was blaming him. I wasn't, at all. He got shot while saving Sam and me, after all, you know?"

"Alright" Sebastian easily accepted with a relieved smile. "You just sounded so… exasperated"

"Yes, but it's the situation that frustrates me, not Blaine" Puck answered, reciprocating the smile. "We'll wait as long as it's necessary"

"Ok, guys, now that we've established that, can we please move to the dining room before the big dinner I prepared, consisting in opening some tuna cans, goes to waist?" Unique joked from the door, as apparently she had been listening to the conversation for a while but hadn't wanted to interrupt.

All the youngsters spread across the living room started moving to follow the cook –or can opener, to be more precise–, except for Mike, who remained absentmindedly sitting on the couch as if he hadn't even heard Unique.

"Mike?" Artie said when he noticed. "Let's go grab a bite"

"Oh, I'm… I'm not hungry" Mike answered in the same deflated tone he had adopted since the attack.

"Mike, you need to take care of yourself and skipping meals isn't going to…"

"I'm not skipping meals, Artie" Mike interrupted him, not wanting to hear his speech. "I'm just not hungry right now. I prefer to stay here on my own for a while. Maybe I'll eat later"

Artie could easily see that, apart from not being hungry, what really was keeping Mike there was the chance to be alone for a while. After all, being imprisoned in such close quarters with so many people in his actual state couldn't be easy, so Artie decided not to insist and give the poor guy the space he so desperately needed.

"Alright, we'll save you some" Artie promised, though Mike barely heard him anymore.

Mike couldn't understand why they had to try so hard. Everyone was always insisting for him to eat, to move, to talk. Even Blaine had asked him to go and see him when he couldn't barely keep his own head up, according to Sebastian. Why was it so hard to understand that he didn't want their compassion? That the sadness he could see in their eyes every time they looked at him was not helping him keep it together in the slightest? Than controlling his emotions was so exhausting that he hardly had any strength left to do anything else?

"Mike?" a slightly strained voice he hadn't heard for days took him out of his reverie, and when he raised his gaze to meet the person behind it, he was shocked to see Blaine standing and walking up to him –though it was clear that it was Sam the one doing most of the work by the tight grip he was keeping on his waist and his arm as he helped him.

"Blaine!" Mike exclaimed, and his voice sounded unusually rough, probably because of the lack of use for the last few days. "What are you doing up? You shouldn't be walking around"

"Well, you weren't coming to see me, so it was the only alternative" Blaine explained with no trace of reproach in his voice while Sam carefully helped him down to the sofa, next to their older friend.

"I'm sorry, Blaine…" Mike tried to apologize, but of course Blaine wouldn't even let him.

"Mike, please, don't apologize, Sam told me how you took care of me" Blaine answered, and there was so much gratitude in his voice that Mike could really see he was not intending on reproaching him for anything –quite the contrary.

"I'm going to leave you two alone now. Artie said it was supper's time anyway" Sam, who knew how important it was for his boyfriend to make sure Mike would be okay, said as he bent down to kiss Blaine's cheek. "Call me if you need me, sweetie"

"Alright" Blaine said with a grateful smile as he watched his boyfriend go.

Silence fell between the two boys for a minute. Mike didn't know what to say, and Blaine was trying to find the right words to get Mike out of his shell –after all, both Sam and Sebastian had told him the way Mike had been behaving– without sending him into the defensive.

"I'm sorry" Blaine started, looking intently at his friend and forcing him that way to look back at him, knowing he would understand it was his way of giving him his condolences.

"Thank you" Mike awkwardly answered, and Blaine was glad he had caught him unawares to talk or he was sure Mike would have continued hiding from him.

"And… I'm sorry I survived" Blaine continued with the softest voice –after all, Sam hadn't been the only one suspecting that maybe Mike was having some trouble accepting that he had made it when Tina hadn't.

"What?" Mike asked in genuine surprise.

"I get it" Blaine answered, and Mike was astonished that he didn't look offended or upset even if he thought Mike didn't want him to survive –only understanding. "I survived and Tina didn't. It's only human that you resent me for it"

"What? I don't resent you for living, Blaine, I'm so glad you did" Mike answered, and Blaine's heart warmed at the honesty behind his words.

"But… you never came to see me after I woke up, I thought…"

"Well, let's say that seeing you struggling to survive wasn't nice and it wasn't helping me, but… that's not the real reason I never went to see you"

"Then what is it?" Blaine asked, even more confused than before.

"You were Tina's boo" Mike explained, though it still didn't make any sense to the smaller boy. "You don't know how much she adored you. And I know that feeling was reciprocated"

"It was" Blaine immediately agreed, swallowing the lump on his throat as he remembered all the precious moments he had spent with her.

"You're the only one here apart from me that knew how great Tina really was" Mike continued, his voice shaking slightly even if he refused to break down. "And who really loved her. I know most people thought she was kind of a bitch because she got really passionate sometimes, but you and me knew how she really was inside. What a great person she was"

"We did" Blaine answered, trying very hard not to shed the tears he felt forming in the corner of his eyes –because it was about Mike; if Blaine was suffering about Tina's death, he couldn't even begin to imagine Mike's pain. If something happened to Sam…

"So… I couldn't possibly face you" Mike confessed with a hint of shame in his voice as he lowered his head to avoid Blaine's gaze. "I knew I was going to break down as soon as I saw the pain in your eyes"

"Maybe… maybe it is time you break down, you know?" Blaine suggested, as Sam had told him how he been holding all his pain inside and had refused to talk to anyone until then. "You have the right to do it"

"I'm afraid that if I start crying, I'll never be able to stop" Mike admitted in a shaky voice, sounding as if he was already losing the battle. Blaine didn't know why that was: maybe it was because Mike knew Blaine loved Tina and he would understand; or maybe no one had tried hard enough, not really knowing how to approach the broken boy. But the thing was that Blaine was starting to break his barriers and he was not going to stop now.

"You will. I will make sure" Blaine promised while closing his arms around his friend in a close embrace, not faltering even when he felt Mike stiffen at it. "For you and… for her"

It only took a couple of seconds for Mike to crumple and he started crying while desperately clinging to Blaine. Blaine had to make a big effort not to start crying too, as Mike's heart wrenching sobs and the way he was holding onto Blaine, almost as if he was afraid of falling if he ever let go, were really breaking his heart. But he didn't. He just held Mike more strongly and didn't try to stop his tears, as they had been held long enough.

"She was the love of my life" Mike lamented between sobs, his voice muffled with Blaine's hoodie.

"I know" Blaine understandingly answered, acknowledging his friend's pain as he discreetly wiped a tear from his own cheek. "And she loved you with all her heart"

"I don't know how to live without her" Mike confessed.

"You'll learn" Blaine promised. "We'll find a way"

They lost track of time of how long they were like that, with Mike engulfed in Blaine's arms crying his heart out as if he was never going to stop. Blaine thought he saw Sam at the door from the corner of his eyes for a second –he was probably checking on them to make sure they were alright or Blaine didn't need anything–, but no one interrupted them.

"I'm sorry" Mike apologized once he started getting a grip on himself and was able to leave the comforting warmth of his friend's arms.

"Don't be" Blaine immediately answered, even offering a small smile to his friend so he would see how not only he wasn't sorry about his breakdown, but he was glad that he had been able to be there for him.

"But I wet your hoodie" Mike insisted in embarrassment, pointing at the stain in Blaine's clothes that his tears had provoked.

"It will dry" Blaine answered, fondly shaking his head at the taller boy.

"I think I'm going to have a bit of fresh air" Mike shakily said while he started getting up from the sofa, showing Blaine that he was still far from being ok, but at least he had taken a step on the right direction. "Do you want me to help you anywhere?"

"Oh no, I'm sure Sam will come and get me any minute now" Blaine immediately dismissed him –after all, he was still tired from the walk from the office, a while longer on the comfortable sofa sounded really appealing. "But be careful. And try not to get too wet, we don't want you falling ill on top of everything"

"I'll just sit on the backyard's porch, away from the rain, don't worry" Mike promised with the ghost of a smile before turning serious again to look intently at Blaine's eyes. "And… thank you. I guess I really needed that"

"You're welcome" Blaine answered. "Just… come back to us"

With a grateful nod and the smallest of smiles, Mike patted Blaine's arm in agreement and finally left the room, for some alone time he so desperately needed after the emotional breakdown he had just experienced. And even if it had been so hard, at least, for the first time, he started believing he would make it.

Blaine watched him go with a sad sigh. He felt some progress had been done with Mike, although the older boy still had a long way to walk before he would start feeling alright and putting Tina's death behind him. Blaine had to dry another stray tear from his cheek when he thought about his dear friend, and just the thought that he was never going to see her again, or laugh again with her or even share an embrace with her, was enough to make him want to scream and sob and pound the sofa underneath him. But he didn't. Because Mike was the one really hurting, and he wasn't going to selfishly take that from him. And because he didn't want the others to see him breaking down and lose any hope they might have left. And because he didn't want Sam and Cooper to worry about him more than they already did.

He breathed deeply a couple of times to control his need to break into sobs, and then he rested his head on the backrest of the sofa and closed his eyes, wanting to separate from a world that could make people like Mike lose the love of his life just like that, even if it was only for a second.

And it was like that that Cooper found him only a couple of minutes later.

"Hey, little brother, what are you doing here all alone?" Cooper asked as he entered the room, and Blaine suspected he had eaten in record time just to catch him alone so they could spend some quality time together –something they so desperately needed after so much time apart.

"Because Sam brought me here and I can't leave on my own" Blaine joked with a smile that Cooper could see didn't reach his eyes when the youngest brother lifted his head to look at him. "Hey, you shaved!"

"I know! Don't I look handsome?" Cooper joked back while rubbing his own chin, trying to create a lighter atmosphere in his brother's benefit.

"At least you don't look like a homeless person anymore" Blaine answered with a chuckle.

"Isn't that what we all are nowadays?" Cooper answered before he could stop himself, and he immediately regretted when he noticed the general mood fall again.

"I guess" Blaine answered with a shrug of his shoulders, the smile completely gone from his face by then.

"Mind if I keep you company for a while?" Cooper asked, feeling bad that he had made Blaine sad and wanting to make it better.

And he was relieved when Blaine only smiled warmly at him in response and patted the spot next to him on the sofa as an invitation for Cooper to sit on. Cooper immediately complied, and he was trying to find a joke to break the ice when a loud thunder resounded all along the room and Blaine practically jumped out of his skin.

"Are you still afraid of storms?" Cooper asked, noticing the paleness of his brother's skin and the fear in his eyes that he couldn't hide.

Blaine didn't answer with words, and he nodded his head instead.

"Do you still need your big brother to make it better?" Cooper asked.

Blaine nodded again, and Cooper could only fondly chuckle and shake his head at him before he moved to sit closer to him.

"Come here, you squirt" he said as he opened his arms for his little brother to fall into his embrace, which he immediately did. "I always thought about you when a storm broke, and wondered how you would be dealing with it"

"Did you never think I could be…?" Blaine started to ask, but his brother didn't even want to hear it.

"No" he denied immediately, shivering for a second at the possibility of Blaine not being alive and in his arms as he was right now. "That was never a possibility in my head. I couldn't possibly function if I considered that an option"

Blaine's heart warmed and broke at the same time at the unusual honest feelings of his brother, and he snuggled closer to him in gratitude.

"You need to explain to me how you are here. I still can't believe you found me" Blaine asked, as he hadn't had the chance yet to listen to the whole story.

"Well, it was the best luck of my life when I ran into your friends and they recognized me. Well, I guess I should take some of the credit for that, because my fame obviously preceded me"

"Yeah, I'm sure they rushed to ask you an autograph"

"Hey, I'm a big deal!" Cooper mockingly protested. "I'm the guy from the Free Credit Rating Today commercial"

"Of course, I'm sure all the walkers around will be very impressed at your achievements" Blaine sarcastically answered, but his face broke into a wide smile when he was able to make his brother laugh.

"No, but seriously" Cooper said, his stance turning all serious again as he readied himself to talk about his ordeal until then. "We didn't know what was happening when the pilot of the plane said we were going to land at Indianapolis. And when we landed and I heard Mom's desperate message about how hell had broken loose and how they couldn't reach you… Of course we lost communication immediately, so we didn't really know what the hell was going on. But it didn't take us long to figure it out"

"Were you… attacked?" Blaine asked, his voice full of horror at all the perils his brother had to face until he arrived.

"We were. We lost half the passengers on that first day, maybe even more" Cooper added, and he was so absorbed in his own memories that he seemed to have forgotten he was not alone. "And the ones that survived had no idea of what we were doing, and we didn't have anyone to inform us, because everyone had run or died. So we decided to start walking towards Ohio, which was supposed to be our destination anyway, to look for our families, as practically everybody had someone to worry about here"

"And… where are they?" Blaine asked, afraid to hear the answer, because for all he knew, his brother had arrived on his own.

"They died" Cooper explained with a half sob. "All of them, Blaine. Most of them didn't know how to fight, and the ones who did died trying to help others…"

Cooper winced and had to stop for a second to take a deep breath; a second Blaine took advantage of to put his own arms around his brother and embrace him, hoping to offer some comfort this time. And by the way Cooper clung to him, he knew he was doing the right thing.

"I only managed to hang on because I so desperately needed to find you" Cooper continued, looking intently at his brother. "If it hadn't been for you… I don't think I would have found the courage to go on"

"And you've been alone since…"

"For almost two weeks now. Maybe I was just lucky, I don't know, but after so many days on the road you learn how to protect yourself: which routes to take, the best hours to walk, how to kill those monsters without attracting more of them…"

"I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through" Blaine lamented in a whisper, his heart aching at his brother's suffering.

"Nothing you haven't faced yourself" Cooper answered, fondly pinching Blaine's cheek. "Sebastian told me about how you managed to survive and keep Sam alive for two weeks on that hospital, on your own. The horrors you had to see… that couldn't have been easy either"

"No" Blaine admitted with an involuntary shiver, remembering those horrible days in which he didn't know what was happening and he had to see so many people die while not knowing if Sam was ever going to wake up.

"And then… apparently you've been leading those guys all along since then" Cooper added, his voice full of admiration for his brother's strength, especially for someone so young. "Sebastian spoke wonders about you, you know?"

"He is a good friend" Blaine answered, trying to diminish the importance of it because he felt Cooper was the real hero there. "And even if all that was true, I wasn't alone. I had Sam and all those friends with me. You had no one"

"I have you now, and that's all that matters" Cooper honestly answered, and he had to chuckle with tenderness when Blaine practically jumped into his arms again.

"I love you, Coop" Blaine said as he embraced his brother with all the strength that he was able to summon on his weak state.

"I love you too, little brother" Cooper answered before resting a kiss to Blaine's forehead.

Silence fell upon them for some time, but it was a companionable one, a comforting one, in which they just sat side by side and relinquished in the feeling of being together again. Because even at times when they hadn't had the easiest relationship around, they had always been able to relay in each other and they had forged a bond that had brought Cooper to travel alone for days just to find his little brother. And Blaine would never be grateful enough for that, he thought as he let himself perch slightly at Cooper's side, almost too tired by then to sit up on his own.

"You look tired" Cooper immediately commented, trying not to sound too worried.

"Too long out of my cell for the first time, I guess" Blaine joked, turning to look at Cooper's watch. "What time is it?"

"Oh, I don't know, my watch doesn't work" Cooper answered, looking amusedly at his watch too. "It stopped working weeks ago"

"Then why are you wearing it?"

"What do you mean, why? Who do you think gave this watch to me?"

"Oh my God, that's right!" Blaine exclaimed with a laugh after looking intently at Cooper's wrist for a couple of seconds. "I gave it to you for your birthday like a million years ago! It took me so long to save enough to buy it, even if it was a trinket"

"It was not, it was beautiful!" Cooper protested in a joking tone, though it was obvious how moved he was at the memory. "You were just a squirt yet you used your own money to buy it for me! You'll never know how much it meant to me. It still does"

"Well, you were always my hero" Blaine admitted with no hint of embarrassment in his voice. After all, Cooper had always been his hero indeed, and telling him seemed like the right thing to do in a moment like that.

"And you made me feel like that" Cooper confessed, smiling fondly at the memory of that small curly-haired hyperactive child who thought his big brother was some kind of superman. "I always carry it with me. It helped me having it close when I couldn't have you"

"Gosh, Cooper, I've missed you so much" Blaine said as he took his brother's hand in his.

"I wish I had been with you when you were injured" Cooper lamented, reciprocating his brother's squeeze in their joined hands. "But at least I'm glad you were taken care of so well"

"I know… Sam is…" Blaine started trying to explain what Sam meant to him, even if he was very aware of how much he was blushing.

"A mother hen?" Cooper interrupted, joking in hopes of getting Blaine more comfortable to talk about his feelings for the blond boy.

"Well, yes, but I was going to say perfect" Blaine murmured embarrassedly, lowering his gaze so he didn't have to see the mocking on his big brother's eyes.

"Oh my God, little brother, you're so screwed up" Cooper exclaimed, only half joking because he could see something in Blaine's eyes that he had never seen before. Not even when Kurt was around.

"I know" Blaine admitted with a shy smile, glad to see that his brother seemed to approve of his relationship with Sam –not that it would have changed anything, if he had to be honest, but it was nice to know he supported him on that. "I'm kind of in love with him, you know"

"Yeah, I can see that" Cooper joked as he put an arm around his brother's shoulders and playfully squeezed him strongly to him before turning serious again. "I wish you could have enjoyed something as wonderful as that in different circumstances"

"How are we going to get out of this one, Coop?" Blaine asked in such a small voice that it reminded Cooper of when he was little and he would run to him whenever he was scared about something.

"I don't know, Blainey" Cooper answered with a sad sigh while his brother rested his head on his shoulder trustingly.

And it was like that that Sam found them some minutes later. Sam's heart went to them and about how even if they were amazingly happy they had found each other alive and relatively unscathed, they still couldn't get to enjoy it because the danger they were in. Sam could read Blaine's eyes like an open book, and he could easily see the desolation in them, the loss of the possibility of imagining his brother safe and sound in the other side of the country instead of fighting for his life next to him. And he wished there was something he could do to make him feel better.

"Hey" Sam said to make his presence known, not wanting to intrude in the brothers' privacy-after all, they had been apart for so long they were bound to have a lot to say to each other.

"Hey" Blaine answered with the widest smile that immediately reassured Sam that he was not imposing his presence.

"Am I interrupting something?" Sam still asked for good measure, even if he was already letting himself fall on the sofa, at Blaine's other side.

"Actually yes" Cooper joked.

"Shut up, Cooper!" Blaine playfully reprimanded his older brother before turning to his boyfriend to give him his most tender smile. "Of course not, honey"

"Honey?" Cooper repeated with a sarcastic tone as he watched Sam smile impossibly tender at his little brother and take his hand in his to entwine their fingers together. "What are you, fifty?"

"Hey, leave him alone, I like it" Sam mockingly reprimanded his brother-in-law before turning to kiss his boyfriend. "I like him"

"Oh my God, I'd so tell you to get a room if we'd actually had rooms" Cooper commented with a laugh that was immediately reciprocated by his brother.

"We have them, they just don't have any mattresses left" Sam reminded him, as all the mattresses were scattered around the living room and the dining room of the house, so everybody stayed on the first floor for their safety.

Blaine was about to speak when a nearer thunder was heard, which instantly made him sink further into his seat.

"Can you believe little Blainey is still afraid of storms, after everything he went through?" Cooper said, and Sam's heart warmed at the fact that, far from mocking Blaine, his voice was full of admiration over his little brother's courage.

"Well, we are all afraid of something. And I think that's probably the only thing that scares him, so I guess we're okay" Sam said with a fond smile before he surrounded the smaller boy with his arms and brought him to lie on his chest, hoping to make him feel more protected that way.

"Ha, I knew he was not going to side with you" Blaine triumphantly exclaimed, pointing at his brother to make more of an effect. "I told you, he's perfect"

"You really said that?" Sam asked, unable to stop a smile from spreading across his lips at his boyfriend's high opinion on him, especially when he noticed how adorably Blaine blushed about having been caught.

"You bet he did" Cooper agreed, mockingly shaking his head in frustration at the youngters' cloying relationship.

"Even if we both know that isn't true at all?" Sam asked, looking pointedly at Blaine as if to remind him how hard it had been for him to admit his feelings for the smaller boy.

"Speak for yourself. To me, you're perfect" Blaine answered, his voice full of an adoration that spoke volumes about how forgiven Sam's behavior before the attack really was.

"Oh my God, and to me you're not even real" Sam answered, completely honest, as he captured Blaine's lips in a sweet kiss.

Blaine smiled adoringly at him, making his heart beat a million times faster, but then another loud thunder resounded all around the room and Blaine turned to Sam for comfort, burying his face deeply on the crook of Sam's neck.

"You know? When you think about it, this particular storm could come handy. I mean, maybe the lightning will roost some of those walkers" Sam joked, and he knew he had reached his goal when Blaine laughed in spite of himself.

"Oh my God, Sam, I love you so much" Blaine said between laughs as he put his own arms around the blond to embrace him in gratitude for his poor but adorable attempts of making him feel better.

But Sam didn't even have the time to answer when the loudest sound, similar to an explosion, made them all jump off their skins.

"What was that?" Blaine asked, breaking the embrace to look alternatively at his boyfriend and his brother, searching for answers he knew he was not going to receive.

"I don't know" Cooper answered as he stood up and walked to the nearest window to peek outside, trying to find something that justified a sound like that.

"Please don't tell me we're under attack again" Blaine whispered in a begging tone, and Sam could see he was speaking mostly to himself when he closed his eyes and lowered his face, but he still squeezed him to his chest and answered him, hoping to reassure him even if his own heart was racing with confusion and fear.

"We are not" he immediately answered as he glued his lips to Blaine's temple in a kiss, even if he knew there was a possibility that he was lying to him.

"Guys, guys!" Brittany came running to them, her eyes wild with fear. "There is a fire on the porch and it's spreading quick!"

"A fire?" Sam repeated, not being able to process the information that they were in danger –again– so quickly.

"I guess some lightning fell there, and the dry wood under the roof of the porch caught fire" Puck added as he arrived just behind her, followed by the rest of the group. "That was probably the noise we heard"

"Mike was there!" Blaine suddenly yelled, verging on hysterics at the thought of his friend getting struck by lightning as he grabbed Sam's arms and shook him. "Mike was at the porch!"

"I was already inside, Blaine" Mike tried to reassure him as he reached the living room from the opposite direction. "It was close, but I was already inside"

Blaine let out a shaky breath of relief, but it was short-lived as everyone started throwing suggestions about what to do.

"Let's try and put the fire out" Jake suggested.

"It's impossible, it's already too big for that" Santana answered in a grave voice.

"We all know what we need to do, and that is getting the fuck out of here" Puck exclaimed as he ran to the corridor to get a glimpse of the back door –and much to his dismay, the flames had already caught on the wooden door and the carpet inside.

"No" Sam immediately opposed, giving a quick look at the boy still in his arms. "We can't go"

"Sam, I'll be alright" Blaine intervened, knowing Sam's reticence came from fear for him and his weakened state.

"No, it's impossible, we need to find another solution" Sam insisted, getting more and more anxious by the second: he had needed to help Blaine out of the office and to the couch, how the hell was he supposed to survive outside?

"There is no other solution, Sam" Puck contradicted him, his words full of impatience at the precious time they were losing. "It's already spreading inside, we don't have time to convince you"

"Blaine can't travel, he can hardly walk on his own!" Sam loudly protested, standing up to make more of an impression.

"Then we'll help him" Sebastian honestly answered, as he knew everybody would give their best to help the injured boy who had guided them so much until then.

"Sam, I can do it" Blaine said from his place on the sofa, trying to sound resolute enough so Sam would let himself be convinced. "We need to go, and we need to do it now"

"But you can't travel, you're not strong enough!" Sam lamented as he turned to his boyfriend in what could be considered a state. "We haven't thought enough, there must be another solution, we just…"

"Sam, look at me!" Blaine practically yelled as he stood up and grabbed Sam's arms –trying not to show how hard it had been for him to do it on his own or Sam would never agree to leave the house, even if he was being irrational. "I can if you help me!"

The determination in Blaine's voice and his strong stance as he stood in front of him finally convinced Sam that they didn't have another option and that he could do it with his help. He cupped the back of Blaine's head and, in one swift movement, he brought their faces together and kissed him for a moment, just to show him how proud he was of him.

"Ok, let's go" he finally said as he threw Blaine's arm around his shoulders to help him and turned to the others.

"We just have a problem" Cooper seriously answered before they could move. "The back door is the only exit that is not completely sealed. And it's in flames right now"

And nobody moved a muscle as they realized how right Cooper was.

A/N: Sorry for yet another slow chapter! But as you can see, the action is starting now, so just wait until the next one.

And oh, don't mind me if the lightning or the fire thing doesn't make any sense, I tried investigating if that could happen and couldn't find anything!