Monday morning, Kurt had to get up and go to classes and then work. He didn't want to. He wanted to stay all day curled up with B in bed. B was still sleeping soundly, head pillowed on Kurt's chest, and Kurt couldn't help but think that he always wanted to wake up this way.

Maybe he should take the day off. If B was still having headaches, Kurt should stay with him. Kurt unconsciously ran his hand up and down B's back with a peaceful sigh. B's skin was smooth and so nice to touch. It was a little strange at first to feel B's skin and not have it be warm like a human's, but Kurt had gotten used to that. He couldn't believe he'd denied himself moments like this for so long just because he was worried about getting involved with B.

B shuffled a little bit and then sat up, stretching and smiling. That was one thing about B; he had no trouble waking up. Mornings weren't a struggle for him like they were for Kurt, who always just wanted another 5 minutes in bed. B woke up alert and ready. Kurt didn't know if that was a B thing or an android thing, but he was always jealous of it.

"Time to get up, sleepyhead," B said, looking down at him.

"Don't wanna," Kurt yawned.

B grinned down at him, his hair a mess of curls and his cheeks rosy. "You have school."

"I was thinking of staying home today. With you."

"I have school, Kurt."

Kurt pulled himself up, tucking his feet close and wrapping his arms around his knees. "You could skip."

"I could… But Mrs. Huang is anxious to see me after what happened last week. And as much as I'd love to just spend the day with you, we do have lives we have to live."

"You want things to go back to normal," Kurt said. "Back to the way things were before Smythe Industries took you and we learned… and we learned all that we learned." Kurt interpreted what B was saying, but avoided mentioning the Andersons, since it might give B a headache.

B smiled bashfully and looked down at his lap, playing with his fingers. "Not everything… I like where we are."

Kurt couldn't keep the wide grin off of his own face. "Me too." Their relationship was progressing quickly, but it could hardly be helped, seeing as they were already living together and Kurt had almost lost B for good. Something that still made his stomach ache to think of.

B looked up from his lap and furrowed his brows. He must have noticed the upset look on Kurt's face. B moved forward quickly to cup Kurt's face with both of his hands and sealed his lips with a kiss. Kurt let out a muffled sound of surprise before letting his eyes flutter closed as he hungrily kissed him back.

B laughed as Kurt pushed him back down onto the bed and kissed him deep, and sweet, one of his hands settling in B's hair and the other on his hip. B tugged on Kurt's bottom lip a little, and Kurt moaned into the kiss. They ended up in bed longer than planned, but eventually they had to get up and rush to get ready for the day.

"Call or text me if you have any headaches," Kurt said, hopping on one foot as he pulled on a boot. "And tell Mrs. Huang about how you've been passing out, okay?"

"I will," B said, finishing off tying his bow tie.

"And I'll see you this evening," Kurt said, pulling on a coat. "And please, just be…" Kurt sighed, hating the idea of letting B go off on his own, but knowing B needed that.

"I'll be careful and I'll text you regularly today, okay?"

"Thank you, B," Kurt said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I know I'm being protective. I just can't help worrying about you."

"I know," B said sweetly, brown eye dancing, and Kurt smiled at him and the maroon eye patch he was wearing and how it brought out the ruddiness of his cheeks. "It's going to be alright," B assured him.

Kurt did everything he could to focus at school. Texting B between classes and laughing as B sent him pictures all day with captions like "Mrs. Huang hugged me so tight it's a good thing I don't need to breathe." and "Tye says he thinks he might start pretending he is a Martian because of how people stare at his green skin. You should hear his impression of one, it's hilarious." B didn't mention what had happened over the weekend or the fact that he knew Kurt was worried, but he kept up enough texts so that Kurt felt better.

The texts slowed a little while Kurt was at work, but B still answered every time Kurt shot one off. Kurt was finally leaving the theater after a long day and walking to the subway when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and smiled as he saw it was another text from B.

I might not be at the apartment when you get home.

Kurt paused as he read the text.

I thought you were already home. Everything okay?

I was, but I have an errand to finish up. Everything's fine.

Headache?

Just a little one. Nothing like the ones that come before I shut off. No big deal.

Kurt bit his lip worriedly, but he wasn't going to tell B what to do or demand to know where he was at all times. He wanted B to be his own person.

Okay, see you when you get home, Kurt texted before pocketing his phone and heading down to the subway.

When Kurt got home, he shrugged off his coat and checked to see if there were any more texts from B. There weren't. He wanted to text and ask him how his errand was going, but felt like he was being overprotective. He'd wait a little while before texting again. Kurt went to the kitchen to start some dinner and noticed B's tablet sitting out on the table. He walked over and sat down, finding a sticky note next to it.

Kurt,

Take a look at what I found.

Love you,

B

Kurt smiled and felt butterflies in his stomach over those two simple words, "Love you". He tapped the screen to wake the tablet and see what B had left for him.

The first thing he saw was a black and white picture of B smiling up at him. It took Kurt a moment of really looking at the photo to realize what was wrong with it. B had two eyes and no eye patch. Not B then… Blaine Anderson.

The picture was part of a newspaper article and as Kurt scanned it, his stomach tightened. It was dated nearly two years ago, and was a brief write-up about how Blaine Anderson, son of multimillionaire business mogul Robert Anderson, was rushed to Lenox Hill hospital after what police believed was a hate-crime. His condition was unknown at the time.

Kurt felt sick. God, Blaine had been attacked in a hate-crime? Out of all the scenarios in Kurt's mind of what could have happened to him, that hadn't been one of them. Kurt had assumed it'd been a car accident or something.

He exited the article only to find a folder on B's desktop titled "Blaine Anderson". Kurt clicked on the folder; even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know what else B had found. He opened documents and scanned them, learning more about the night Blaine had been injured.

Blaine Anderson was attacked outside of a theater after an evening with friends and then left for dead. The police concluded it was a hate crime because the F word was freshly spray painted on the ground near him. It turned out that Blaine had gone into a coma, but after that Kurt didn't find anything else about him. No record of his death or an obituary.

There was also a little about the Anderson family in the folder. How Mr. and Mrs. Anderson went back to their home in Ohio after a while and rarely come to New York anymore. The folder also contained the address to an apartment in an expensive part of town. It seemed to be the home of Cooper Anderson, who had stayed in the city even after the brutal attack his brother suffered

Kurt shut the folder again, shaking all over. B had found all this. B had been researching Blaine Anderson without saying anything about it.

Of course B would want to know about the man he'd been created in the image of. Kurt just wished he didn't feel like he had to do it alone. Though if Kurt was being fair, B had said he couldn't stop thinking about Blaine Anderson. Kurt should have helped him with this instead of putting it off. The thing was, Kurt didn't want to think about Blaine Anderson.

Kurt rubbed a hand down his face. B left the research out for Kurt to see, so he obviously wanted Kurt to be part of this. Kurt just hoped B's errand didn't have anything to do with the information he'd found. If just thinking about Blaine gave B a headache, then looking into his history would surely make him pass out again. Kurt shuddered to think what would happen if B shut off somewhere all alone.

Kurt took out his phone and sent B a message.

You okay? I found your research on Blaine Anderson.

Kurt waited nervously, but there was no return message. Kurt got up and opened the fridge, looking to see what he could make for dinner, but too distracted to really take in anything he saw. He shut the door and texted again.

I'm sorry if I'm bugging you. I don't want to be that kind of boyfriend, but if you'll just let me know you're okay, I'll leave you alone.

Kurt waited another few minutes, aimlessly wandering around the apartment, before he couldn't take it anymore. He started to call B when a text came in from him. Kurt sighed in relief until he read the message.

Not okay. I need you.

Kurt's heart dropped to his stomach, and Kurt quickly called B. The phone rang a few times before going to voicemail.

"B!" Kurt said to his voicemail. "Where are you? I can't come to you if I don't know where you are. Call me back."

He hung up and texted him.

Where are you?

No answer.

Kurt started feeling frantic. B wasn't okay and needed Kurt, and Kurt didn't even know how to get to him! What if f B had passed out and that was why he wasn't responding? How could Kurt get to him? What if someone found him and hurt him or stole him? Kurt took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

Okay, assume this has something to do with Blaine Anderson, Kurt thought, hand gripping his phone. Where would B go?

Not to Smythe Industries. There would be no one there this late anyway.

Anderson Corporation had an office in the financial district. But what would B hope to find there at almost 8 pm on a Monday?

Then Kurt remembered. The folder. There had been one address in there.

"Cooper Anderson," Kurt breathed, and then rushed for the tablet looking up the address. That had to be where B had gone.

He sent a quick text telling B he was coming and then grabbed his coat and rushed out of the apartment.

Kurt hailed a cab and gave the driver the address on the Upper East Side.

Kurt kept checking his phone, picturing B walking up somewhere and disorientedly texting or calling him. But nothing came in. Kurt shot off a few more texts of his own, but didn't hear back from B.

This was why he was afraid to leave B alone today; he had been terrified of something like this happening. Why would B go off on his own when he knew anything about the Anderson's triggered him? Kurt had spent so much time lately worried about B, and it wasn't B's fault, but this time it could have been avoided. When Kurt found him, he was going to hold him close and kiss him soundly, and then tell him exactly how he felt about B scaring him like this.

That is… If B was alright…

Kurt clenched his jaw. The cab ride seemed to take forever, and Kurt quickly hopped out of the car when he finally got to the right address. He walked confidently into the apartment building, like he was supposed to be there, and the doorman let him in.

Once he was in the lobby, Kurt wasn't sure what to do. This wasn't the kind of place that would just let you up to someone's apartment without clearance. Kurt had lucked out when he'd been sneaking around Smythe Industries, but he couldn't count on that happening again.

Kurt looked around the richly decorated lobby for any sign of B, but he wasn't here.

He walked up to the porter behind the front desk. "Excuse me," Kurt said, trying hard to keep the nerves out of his voice. "Has a young man, about this tall," he said, holding up his hand. "With curly dark hair come by this evening? Maybe to see Mr. Anderson?"

"No, sir," The porter answered. "I haven't seen anyone fitting that description."

"Right," Kurt said, feeling unsettled with worry. This was taking too long. B could be lying unconscious or hurt somewhere, and Kurt didn't even know how to find him.

Kurt looked back across the lobby, trying to decide what to do next when the elevator doors opened with a "ping" and a tall and very handsome man walked out. Kurt drew in a quick breath. He recognized the man from the Anderson family photos immediately, and apparently his luck was holding out, because it was Cooper Anderson who had just walked into the lobby.

Kurt hurried forward before Cooper had a chance to leave the building. "I'm sorry to bother you," Kurt said, stopping in front of him. "I… um… I'm not sure how to… explain this."

The man smiled at him, and Kurt was silenced for a second because of the magnitude of that smile. "You want an autograph, don't you?"

"I… What?"

"I don't get this in New York very often - my commercial mostly runs in the midwest -, but I'm always happy to meet a fan."

Kurt had no idea what he was talking about, but it kept Cooper Anderson from just walking past him, so Kurt went with it. "Okay… Yes. Great. I'd love an autograph."

Cooper looked at him expectantly, and Kurt patted his pockets and then fished out a crumpled receipt. "I don't really have anything…"

Cooper smiled again. "I'm sure the porter has something." Kurt followed him to the front desk.

"I was actually meeting a friend here…" Kurt said. "You haven't seen-" and then Kurt stopped short. What was he going to ask? You haven't seen anyone who looks exactly like your dead brother, have you? Because of course Cooper hadn't, or he wouldn't be acting so nonchalant. Kurt redirected the question. "Has anyone tried to see you this evening?"

Cooper lifted his eyebrows with an amused expression that reminded Kurt so much of B that his stomach twisted.

"No?" Cooper answered. "Was someone supposed to?"

"Just looking for a friend," Kurt answered, mouth dry. If B wasn't here, where was he?

"What's your name?" Cooper asked.

"What?" Kurt was looking around the lobby distractedly.

"For the autograph?"

"Oh… Um. Kurt. Kurt Hummel."

Cooper signed a piece of paper with a flourish and then handed it over. "Always nice to meet a fan," he repeated, putting on the dark gray homburg hat he'd been carrying and tipping it to Kurt. "Have a good evening."

Kurt watched him go with a tense feeling running through his body. He had no idea what to do to find B now, and equally no idea of how much trouble B was in.

He walked out of the building and pulled out his phone with trembling hands. He'd call his dad. Burt wouldn't be able to do much for him, but Kurt was close to panicking and his dad would at least know how to help him calm down.

Instead, a text came in, and thank god, it was from B.

I'm so sorry, Kurt. I'm near the Beekman Theatre. Can you come?

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to cry. He had no idea what B was doing at the Beekman Theatre, but at least it was close, and B was contacting him again. He dialed B's number even as he stood on the curb and held his arm up for a cab.

It only rang once before B answered.

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I'm so sorry."

"B. It's okay. I'm nearby and coming to you."

"I'm so sorry," B repeated, and Kurt could hear the tears in his voice.

"Oh, baby," Kurt exhaled as a taxi pulled up and he climbed in. "Are you hurt? What's going on?"

He heard B sniff. "I'm not hurt. I… I did shut off again…"

Kurt squeezed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he told the taxi driver where to go. "But you're alright?"

"I'm not hurt," B repeated, but he didn't sound alright.

Kurt stayed on the phone with him until he arrived at the theater. People were outside, lined up for tickets and standing in groups talking. He couldn't see B anywhere.

"Where are you?"

"Um... The alleyway. Stage right," B said in an unsteady voice.

Kurt felt his stomach flip over as he suddenly realized why B had come here.

The alleyway outside of Beekman Theater was where Blaine Anderson had been attacked.

"Oh god, B," Kurt said as he rounded the corner, not hanging up until he saw a form hunched down on the ground, shivering. He used his phone as a flashlight - it was a little darker in the alley than it was on the street - and made his way to B, huddled and hugging his knees tight to his chest.

Kurt sat down next to him, hardly thinking about how the nasty ground would ruin his pants as he wrapped his arms around B. B immediately leaned into him, crying hard.

They were both quiet for a little while, besides B's sobs and Kurt's soft murmurs of comfort. Kurt just held him, rocking back and forth a little as B clung to the front of his shirt, face buried in his shoulder. Kurt rubbed his back and played with his hair.

"You're okay, B. You're okay."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," B finally hiccupped out, and Kurt just held him tighter.

"Don't be sorry, B. Just tell me what is going on."

B sniffled and breathed in. His tears had quieted, but he still kept hold of Kurt like a lifeline. "I h- had to know what happened to… to him. I… I had to know."

"I found your research," Kurt said. "But why would you come here?"

"I…. I don't know…" B stuttered. "I just… I couldn't h-help it."

Kurt held B until his tears dried up, and then he tipped B's chin up to look at his face. "Did you pass out here?"

"As soon as I saw the alley, I texted you, because the headache got really bad… and then… it was black and there were these… sounds. I don't know." He took in a shaky breath. "I woke up on the ground. I was lying where he must have been once."

Kurt nodded and wiped his own teary eyes.

"I think…" B looked down and took a long deep breath. "I've been here before."

"What does that mean?" Kurt asked, shivering in the cold and with the thoughts of what it must have been like to find Blaine Anderson lying in this alleyway, beaten and bleeding. And the picture in his mind of B laying here shut down and stone cold. It made his stomach roll.

B looked up again. "This is it. This is the place where all of my nightmares happen. This alley. I've been here before."

"You mean Blaine has been here."

"I think it might be the same thing."

Kurt looked closely at B's face in the dim light of the alleyway, tear-stained and heartrending. "You aren't him, B," Kurt said softly.

"As soon as I heard his name, I started to wonder," B answered. "I picked the name B because it seemed right, like I knew my name started with a B. And then I heard Blaine Anderson, and it never felt like I was learning about someone else, it feels like I'm learning about myself. Why else would I be the way I am? I think like a human. I feel like a human. Did you know Blaine Anderson studied music and theater at NYC before his attack? Do you know how many pictures I found of him wearing the exact kind of clothes I like? And he was gay. And he gelled his hair down the same way I do..." B shook his head. "I feel like, if I'm not him, then I've stolen his life… and it makes me feel so… so guilty."

"B, no," Kurt said, chest tight and breath shallow. He didn't know what to do with all this information. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. You didn't take anything from anyone. If you are the way you are because of Blaine, then… Then that's a miracle, B. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. Just know that I love you. I love you for who you are right now."

B smiled a little, wiped his eye and readjusted his eye patch, which had gotten crooked as he'd leaned against Kurt. "I love you too."

"Now please let me take you away from this awful place," Kurt begged.

"Yeah, that'd be good," B agreed as Kurt helped him to his feet.

"If you need to know more about Blaine or the Andersons, that's fine. But we have to do this together," Kurt said sternly. "Or you are going to make me go prematurely gray." Kurt smiled at him, trying to lighten the mood as they walked back out to the street.

"You'd look very dashing with gray hair."

"Be that as it may, I'd like to put it off for another decade or so."

"I won't ever go gray, Kurt. Doesn't that bother you?"

Kurt swallowed down the pain in his chest. "We have a lot on our plate right now. Can we save that conversation for another time?"

"Whatever you want, Kurt," B said, leaning in with his eye closed and kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"I just want you," Kurt said, looping their arms together.

B smiled brightly, and it was a relief to see it. "You're very dashing now," he said with a small laugh as Kurt tried to hail a cab yet again.

Kurt started to relax. His worries seemed to be piling up on him, but hearing B's laugh made it all seem a bit more bearable, at least for now.

In the back of his head, though, the idea that B was somehow Blaine Anderson stung like a wound. Because if B was Blaine, then B had a whole other life, one that he might eventually want to go back to. Kurt felt ashamed even thinking it, because he should want good things for B, but if B went back to this old life... would there still be room in it for Kurt?