AN: I'm so sorry for the shocking wait, everyone. I had this chapter so close to finished but then one day the final product just stopped working on my computer so I was forced to rewrite it.
Justin and Mrs Amaro were the first ones to compose themselves long enough to start moving. Mrs Amaro clutched her broom tightly in one hand while handing a lit candle to Kurt, she had found the unlit candle in a pouch in her uniform before lighting it. Justin had grabbed fire poker and was gripping it so tightly that his knuckles shone an eerie white under the glow of the flame Kurt held. Maria was handed a dry mop, and she held it uncertainly.
"I know you two have never handled a situation like this." Said Justin. "Which means that we have to keep a good close eye on you."
"What do you mean?" Asked Maria, grabbing Justin's sleeve before he could turn away.
"Times are always tough for people like us," Mrs Amaro answered, a protective and almost paternal softness in her voice. "There are desperate people. People who use violence, who do unspeakable things just to survive." Kurt knew that all too well. He thought of how it was that desperation that took his mother away from him. The same desperation he'd seen on the people in the streets, the eyes that betrayed that last shred of sanity.
"Someone is attempting to steal from the Anderson's?" Maria asked, her voice shaking subtly. All Justin could do was nod.
"We want to help them, but we can't. They know that. We can never be too careful, they are highly likely to come at us with violence once we find them."
"I can't hurt someone!" Maria squeaked. "Then I'm no better than the vulgar people that hurt us!" At her exclamation there was a sound. Footsteps. They were running. Kurt gulped and shined the light around, but the room was still empty. No-one was going to confront them, not unless confronted themselves. Justin covered Maria's mouth, listening patiently and carefully as the footsteps faded away.
"Let's go." He whispered. "Kurt, we need you to light the way." Kurt just gave one nod but said nothing more.
As Mrs Amaro opened the door Kurt became very much aware of the eerily creaking the large door made, a noise he had never been aware of before. He could not see much beyond the inches of glow the fire provided, and so it unnerved him when he caught a glimpse of the eyes of the paintings on the wall. They moved as one unit, each one of them deepening their bond subconsciously as they made a non-verbal promise to protect each other. There was the sound of faint scuffles at the end of the abyss of darkness. Whoever it was, they were in a good enough state of mind to know that they needed to be stealthy in order to make it out alive. Eventually they had reached the room reserved for balls. Slowly but surely Kurt opened the door and slipped in, feeling a knot tighten in his stomach with everyone step he took. He was aware that out of everyone, he would be the most visible to whoever had entered the building. He didn't know what made him do it, but he spoke up.
"Hello?" He called out. "Please come out, we're not going to hurt you."
"Kurt!" Justin hissed quietly from behind him, a hand on his shoulder. Kurt shrugged his shoulder a bit and moved around the room, knowing that he was playing with fire. Gently he set the candle into a holder on the table, but that had proven to be a huge mistake. Out of nowhere there was an angry growl from the unwelcomed guest. Kurt let out a shriek of surprise as he tumbled down with an unidentified person on top of him. The person wasn't hurting him, he wasn't hitting or kicking, but he'd pulled Kurt away and further into the darkness. Away from the light. Kurt struggled hard and looked back at the candle, seeing the faces of the other servants as they neared the table. They couldn't see him, and Kurt couldn't see his captor.
"Whoever you are, let him go!" Justin yelled out, gripping the poker tightly. "I'll start swinging!" But Kurt knew he wouldn't. Justin would never risk it unless he ended up stabbing Kurt on accident.
"You won't!" Roared the voice above Kurt. "Leave me alone, man, I just need some money!"
"But if you're caught, you'll be executed!" Maria said desperately. She looked terrified, reaching her mop out blindly in the hope that she'd find her friend. Kurt could feel the hands holding him begin to shake. The guy seemed to know what would happen to him. And though he was restraining Kurt, he wasn't actually holding him tight enough to hurt him. He was actually making a conscious effort not to hurt him.
"Sir," Kurt squeaked out bravely. "I know you must be desperate, but we don't want to hurt you. Please, maybe we can talk and help."
"Shut up!" The voice barked. "You don't know a damn thing, and I ain't falling for that bullshit, I'll knock your head off!"
"You won't," Kurt said. "Because while you're holding me still, you're not hurting me. You need help and you're desperate to do this because it means you'll survive if you succeed." He felt the grip on him loosen. "Please, we won't turn you in. Just let us get some more candles and talk, okay?" There was silence for a while and then the hands released him.
Not long later the room was filled with just enough candles that the inhabitants of the room could make each other out. The intruder had been a young man the same age as Kurt. He had a Mohawk and wore a grey long sleeved shirt and dirty trousers that implied manual labour. The man's name was Noah Puckerman, but he simply went by Puck as he felt he was a new man since he'd lost his family.
"My mother had run away to be with a wealthy man who took poor women from different places because he knew they'd fawn over him, having not had any luxury of their own. He had promised he would leave money with my sister and I, but he didn't. Last I heard our mother had passed away because she had an illness he hadn't noticed. And my little sister passed because of the manual labour plus the weakness of her body." He spoke with such melancholy, the voice of a man who didn't know what to do with himself. Kurt put a hand on the man's shoulder. "I don't care about working hard for money, but I was just let go because I punched some snobby ass who slapped some girl for accidentally dropping the fabric she was making."
"Could we somehow get you to work here with us?" Maria suggested, but Justin looked grim on the idea.
"It'd be good for him, but it was already such a shock that Kurt was taken on. Would Anderson really allow another his age?"
"This one has already gone through excessively manual labour," Mrs Amaro said as she took one of Puck's hands. "Look at his hands, rough and uneven. Workers hands." She gentled closed his hand and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles. "You are a good boy, son, and I'm sorry to hear about your family."
"I'd work here if I could," Puck said. "But sounds like the old man here would find it weird if I just appeared out of nowhere." At that exact moment a carriage was heard outside and Justin bolted to his feet.
"Impossible," He breathed. "I was instructed to pick them up from the event in two hours. Oh, I shall never be forgiven for this." Mrs Amaro grabbed Justin's hand and together they left the room. Kurt and Maria remained behind.
Outside the carriage door opened and Justin gulped, already beginning to apologise countless times for the error he felt was out of his control. But imagine his shock when Blaine stepped out of the carriage with Lady Cohen-Chang. Blaine looked rather stressed and Tina looked concerned and partially fearful as she was helped down. She gave a nod to the driver, who was objective to the strange happenings and left without another word.
"Sir?" Justin asked, slightly breathless from his earlier apologies. "Why are you back so soon, and without your parents?"
"Worry not," Blaine assured him, placing both hands on his shoulders. Justin visibly began to relax and Tina found herself smiling softly. "The matter is something of which I will tell you quickly-"
"Should we really speak of it so openly?" Tina asked, biting her bottom lip in concern.
"I trust the men and women who serve my family with my life. They're not servants to me, they're friends." With that his eyes turned back to Justin. "Miss Cohen-Chang has a love that she should marry and I would like to help her escape with him." Justin looked shocked and pulled Blaine to one side, rules be damned.
"Sir," Justin began, his voice turning slightly stern. "I know your heart is big and you do not wish to follow the expectations of society but this is not something of which I can support."
"You don't understand," Blaine began, seemingly unfazed by the scornful tone the other was taking with him. "The man she loves is a good soul, but life has placed his standing at a lower class than her own. She and I share no love for each other, there is no reason marriage should force us together."
"With all due respect, sir," Justin said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "If your family were to find out that myself and the other servants were involved then we would be out on the streets like the rats they think we are." He was all too aware that his temper was flaring. "We have to be selfish every now and again, it's how we survive."
"I would never allow my family to do such a thing, and they needn't have to know of your help," Blaine pleaded with him. "I cannot do this alone, I require help."
"Your father is already keeping a watch on Kurt to make sure you're not communicating with him, as he forbade you from doing so." Justin reminded him, causing Blaine to back up slightly. He'd forgotten all about that. "Asking us to do this for you is like asking for Kurt to be slapped right back on the street. You are a good man, but you cannot fix all the problems of every person you encounter."
"Our lives are so different," Blaine said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We both carry anger for different reasons. Your life has been so difficult, I do not blame you for having such a harsh outlook on society." Suddenly Justin shrugged off Blaine's hand.
"Then do not ask this of us," He said darkly. "While you doing this would lose you respect, it shall rob us of our lives." Tina slowly walked up to them, noticing the uneasy tension that drifted between them. It was then that something caught Tina's attention.
"Has something happened this evening?" She asked. Her voice drifted through the tense atmosphere elegantly and caught Justin off guard. "A large plant pot seems to have smashed." Justin looked behind him. Puck must have done that on his way into the building.
"What has happened there?" Blaine questioned. "No-one needed to be outside this evening." Refusing to listen to Justin, Blaine charged inside with the other two hot on their heels. After charging through the hall with Justin barking after him, the other servants were startled and spilled out of one room – Puck following closely behind. "Who is this?" Blaine asked with a slight anger in his tone. All he knew was a stranger was in his house and his servants did not seem the least bit concerned.
"He needs help," Kurt said. "He didn't hurt us, he was just desperate. We were wondering if he could get a job here." Kurt's voice was enough to gradually calm Blaine down. Puck absently rubbed the back of his neck and said nothing. It was at that moment that a distrust had formed between Justin and Blaine.
"I will see what I can do," Blaine said slowly. "If you all could help me with something." Tina walked in at the right time, and Kurt's face dropped ever so slightly. He knew who she was. She was to be Blaine's future wife, but after hearing what he needed their help for, the smile quickly returned again. Justin watched from afar with a deepening glare. Blaine had not even had a conversation with Puck, didn't even know who he really was, but he was willing to give the servants what they wanted only so that they could return the favour for him. He could see right through the rich boy's façade. He began to question what he thought of Blaine. Was it possible that his virtues could be his demons? Justin knew that the other servants would agree to help, they all had their reasons. Maria was impressionable and would do anything to have her master show her continued kindness. Mrs Amaro was aging fast and had a lot of distaste for the world that she felt she may as well take a few risks. And Kurt? It was all too obvious why Kurt wanted to help.
As the evening gradually drew to a close Justin went outside and began to ready the carriage so he could pick up Blaine's parents and take Tina back home. The crisp night air reflected his current attitude perfectly. He could be bitter when he truly disbelieved in something. He may believe that Blaine is a good person, and he should try and change society if he had the power to. But this? All Justin knew was that this little stunt, getting the servants to help sneak Tina away, would end up in all of them getting put in serious danger. He wanted to avoid the hardships he knew they'd face.
"Justin," Blaine called out in his cheerful demeanour. "I do hope there are no hard feelings." He said, reaching out a hand.
"I told you what would happen to us if we were to do this." He said flatly, not even bothering to look him in the eye.
"I know," Blaine nodded. "But I will not let it come to that."
"You are gambling," Justin said firmly. "You are gambling with our lives. We ask nothing of you, yet I expressed to you my concern but you did not listen. Tell me, other than your apparent virtues what makes you different from a dictator?" He challenged.
"They agreed."
"Only because they felt they must to keep you happy and to keep the newbie off the streets. And Kurt," He shook his head and chuckled. "We all know why he agreed." Blaine blushed deeply.
"Justin-!"
"I will not settle for this." Justin said as he climbed onto the driver's seat. "I will convince them not to agree to this ridiculous task."
"If you should do so, would I not have to mention that you asked if a thief could stay?" Blaine hated to say it. Because he would never do something like that, but he was desperate and it was too late to take anything back.
But oh how he wished he could.
Justin looked at him sharply, the betrayal deep within his eyes. He looked so upset and so much younger than he actually was. It was the eyes a child would give when they didn't understand why they couldn't do something. The look given when innocence is taken and replaced by the cold hard reality of the world.
"I am finally seeing your true colours, Sir Anderson."
AN: Wow this was a really long wait!
I'm so sorry, everyone. For anyone who still reads this story, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have had a busy year. I've gotten into my second year of University, got two jobs and I'm a volunteer. Busy, busy.
I DID have this chapter almost finished but when my file became unresponsive I realised that I needed to grab my notes and really set some solid hours aside to go through the creation of this chapter again.
Any mistakes, please excuse, simply because I want to get this chapter up for you guys and while you read I will go through any mistakes.
I hope you enjoyed!