Author Notes: Thank you to each and everyone of my reviewers:). I also appreciated all of the favorites and story alerts. Here's the next part.

Additional warnings for this chapter: mentions of self-harm, suicide (among the spirits), blackmail.

Seven

A cold draft and dull daylight woke Blaine. Snowflakes descended from an overcast sky. A fresh blanket of snow covered the ground. The radio had been switched to a soft rock station sometime during the night, probably to help him sleep. Blaine pushed himself into a sitting position and moaned. The migraine instantly made itself known. Pain sliced through his sore, swollen head.

The radio played a weekly countdown of top hits. Blaine listened to the DJ announce several artists, their crowd pleasing songs, and heard a long stream of endless commercials. A need to relieve himself finally compelled him to try to move. It hurt when he rolled over, but he found that he could at least sit up. His head throbbed painfully as he pushed himself onto his feet. The room tilted and his knees wobbled terribly. Actually getting to the bathroom took a careful, well thought out balancing act using the wall and his sore arms.

Once he'd finished meeting his bladder's needs, Blaine slowly made his way back to bed. The radio switched on and off. He wished the ghosts would just leave him alone so he could sleep.
"Blaine?" Kurt's quiet whisper startled him from a light, tense doze. "Are you there?"
"Yes." He squeaked out, wishing the pain would go away. "Head hurts."
"Oh." Kurt sucked in a deep breath. "I'll call Quinn. Maybe she can do something for you."

"So you're friends with her?" Blaine pressed his head further into the soft feather pillow. "Even though she's a rival-or-something?"
"Quinn isn't exactly doing this out of choice." Kurt sighed. "She'd rather be a more-normal-teenager. At the moment, she's the only one trying to help me."
"She yelled at you." He pondered all of his dreams, trying to gauge their relationship. "For screwing something up."
"How do you know about that?" Kurt pressed, confusion in his high voice. "I never told anyone about it."
"Dream." Blaine answered without thinking, realizing he'd have to explain. "I have dreams sometimes about people-people I'm interacting with a lot. I dreamed about you two."

"I see." Kurt replied coolly. "Quinn isn't responsible for this. Well, she wanted to regain her status at McKinley after what happened last year. So she cast a spell. It was meant to help her be Prom Queen, and to help the Glee Club find happiness. She knew I struggled when my dad got sick. How hard it was for us. I considered quitting New Directions for a while, especially once the bullying got worse. The witches realized that I had some-underlying talents-ones that I didn't even know about. Apparently they thought Finn had been born into magic, but that wasn't the case. They wanted to train me. I refused. At least at first. Then my dad got sick and Karofsky just wouldn't let up. When Finn got hurt, I just couldn't stand the thought of anyone suffering because of me. So I caved. I did what they wanted. I refused to let them train me. So they made me date Dave instead as some sort of punishment. Quinn's been helping through this the whole time. At least, she's tried. Managed to postpone my first so-called date with Dave for weeks on end before he realized anything was up."

"What do you mean?" He thought about Kurt's earlier comments about dating Dave. "Did Dave think you loved him because of Quinn?"
"No." Kurt admitted softly. "All Quinn did was try and make me happy. I figured dating him couldn't be all bad if he was willing to take things slowly. Quinn did a spell, one that distracted him for sometime. All the spell did was make him fall harder for me. She figured if he really loved me, then at least he'd take care of me. Judy is the one that figured out Quinn was trying to help me, and she lost it. We messed up their plans. Set them back somehow."
"Do you know why?" He really wanted to know, because Nick certainly had not shed any light in that area. "Why is it so important you date Dave?"
"Dave hasn't really told me much." Kurt's voice cracked. "At all. All I know is that on Prom Night, I have to sleep with him."

The confession surprised Blaine into sitting upright. "What? I thought you said he hadn't forced anything on you."
"He hasn't." Kurt sounded like he was crying. "He's not allowed to, because he's waiting for Prom."
"What about this ritual?" Blaine demanded, panic filling his chest. "Why does he want Judy to preform it?"
"What ritual?" Now Kurt was frantic and slightly hysterical. "Blaine, what are you talking about?"

"I overheard them." He needed to find out more. "Nick and Judy. They were talking about some kind of ritual they were going to perform!"
"Nick?" Kurt breathed shallowly through the mike. "Who's Nick?"
"Dave." Blaine corrected, doubting Kurt would believe him if he started going on about ghosts. "I meant Dave. Kurt, you have got to leave Lima."
"No." His friend insisted. "I can't leave my dad. I can't leave you, Blaine."
"Who are you talking to?" Judy Fabray's cold voice interrupted their mutual freak out session. "I heard you muttering."

Fear crept into his belly as she stepped through the invisible doorway. Blaine gripped the comforter tightly, shaking his head in denial. "I was just yelling at the DJ. I can't believe that he actually thinks these songs deserve to be in the Top 40."
"I see." Judy carried a tray of food, glasses full of colorful liquid, and eyed him skeptically. "I have some food for you."
"Thanks." He didn't really know why he'd thanked his kidnapper for feeding him, but politeness had been ingrained into him from both his parents and at Dalton.

"Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course." Judy set the tray down besides Quinn's from last night. "I see no reason why we can't be civil to one another."
"What do you want from Kurt Hummel?" Blaine decided diving right into the topic at hand would be better than beating around the bush. "I think I deserve to know why I've been mislead and deceived."

"Kurt is something special." She explained, handing him some kind of red fruit juice. "The male son of Elizabeth Hummel. While there are males born with magic-powerful warlocks are very rare. Magic is normally much stronger in females. Elizabeth had strong magic. She was one of the most powerful witches during her hay day. Her family was infamous for their power. Kurt is their heir. Now that he's of age, his magic will only grow stronger. His only weakness is that he's completely untrained-and really unaware of his own power."
"And you want to train him?" Blaine guessed. "So you can include him in your coven?"

"Very good." Judy smiled at him. "You are intelligent. When we preform a ritual on Kurt, it will bring out his abilities. We believe he's tied to the Chaosphere. All of that magic-right at our fingertips-will cement our power."
"I can understand your motives." He disagreed with them, but he figured she already knew that. "I don't understand why you need Nick, or why you want Kurt to sleep with him."
"I see you've been busy snooping during your brief time in Lima." She chuckled. "Psychics always are nosy. Haven't you figured it out yet, Blaine? Once Kurt sleeps with Nick, they will both be permanently tied to one another. Forever. Kurt will belong to Nick. Nick will be able to remain on Earth, and more importantly, he'll be able to still access the other realm."

"So if Nick is doing this for you." Blaine thought about her words for a long, troubled moment. "Then why are you so interested in me, and turning me into a Knave?"
"Nick can access the other realm." Judy traced her long, thin fingers along Blaine's cheek. "But he doesn't have access to the magic there. Elizabeth does. When she drinks your blood, she'll become a part of you. You'll be forced to let her in. The two of you together-bound by blood and psyche-will have unlimited power at your fingertips. Power that will belong to us."

His stomach recoiled. "Elizabeth seemed more interested in helping her son. What makes you think she'll cooperate with you? Especially since she was your enemy when she was alive?"
"Oh." Judy shook her head, shoving a plate of fresh fruit at him. "I'm sorry. You actually thought you had a chance to fight this. Blaine, you must understand something. Elizabeth has no choice. She must drink your blood now. The first taste only enticed her. It's like a very powerful drug. She can only fight it for so long."
"H-how did you get her to hurt me the first time?" He croaked, terror crawling through his body. "How?"
"All it took was a little manipulation." She gloated. "We've known for years that she's been lurking. When we discovered your presence in Westerville, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Kurt was doing well in Glee Club. Burt had accepted his sexuality with open arms, and was happy with Carol. So Elizabeth began to move towards the other realm. Of course, she stayed behind when Burt's heart suddenly failed."

"You caused his heart attack?" He gasped, refusing the food. "Jesus."
"It was necessary." Judy defended coldly. "Kurt needed to be weak in order for Nick to claim him in the locker room. So not only did Kurt have to help his father recover, he had Dave Karofsky harassing him. It took a while, but eventually he agreed to date Nick. The bullying stopped. Quinn helped the school change through her magic. Nick fell in love with Kurt due to my daughter's spell. We made Kurt accept the relationship in exchange for letting his father live."

No wonder Kurt kept seeing Nick on a regular basis. All he'd wanted was to save his father from dying years before his time. "You're a horrible person."
"No." Judy shrugged, painfully squeezing his wrist. "I'm a determined person. And tonight, Elizabeth will be granted access to you."
The words chilled him to the bone. Judy stood and eyed him from the door. "I'm not going to lie. It will hurt."
He couldn't say anything to her. All he could do was cry and tremble. Fear consumed him, because he knew no one would be able to help him this time.

"Blaine?" Kurt whispered. "Are you still there?"
"Yes." He choked out, though he couldn't move or think properly. "How much of that did you hear?"
"All of it." Kurt answered in a tiny, scared voice. "Blaine? I don't know what to do."
"You have to leave." Blaine insisted again. "Please, leave Lima."

"I can't." He responded miserably. "I already told you why."
"I know." Blaine considered his options. "Can't you get your Dad to go with you? Or maybe arrange for someone else to care for him?"
"No." Kurt huffed. "I don't think they could protect him from the coven if I did."
"Kurt." Desperation tainted his hoarse voice. "Please, help me."

The radio crackled once again and abruptly shut off, indication that David had ended the conversation or Kurt had left his basement. Blaine flopped into his pillows and sobbed. The thought of being nothing more than helpless spirit vessel for the next few years haunted his aching head. Classical music played through the small radio. He knew David meant it as a form of comfort, but nothing could really help him at the moment other than escaping from his prison.
Escape. He had to at least try. Maybe he could find a way out, despite what Judy said. Snow fell from the sky in an angry white swirl, indicating a major blizzard had settled over Western Ohio. Blaine drank two glasses of water and downed some fruit before he attempted to flee his room. It would be harder to succeed at escaping if he didn't eat or ensure hydration. Padding silently over to the window, he tried with every once of strength he had left to open it.

As his fingers fiddled with the lock, a blue light sizzled and burned them. Blaine shrieked in renewed pain. Tucking his hands under his shirt, he sank to the floor and cried in frustration. Quiet humming eventually reached his ears. When he looked up, eyes red and swollen from his tears, Quinn smiled sadly at him. "Can I get you anything?"
"Help me." He begged, knowing he sounded completely desperate. "Please."
"I can't." Quinn approached him, placing her delicate fingers on his forehead. "You look sleepy, Blaine."

He wanted to protest, or scream, but his eyes obediently drooped and he soon found himself back on the bed. "Quinn."
"It will be easier this way." She insisted sympathetically, tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear. "You'll sleep for a while. When the others get here, you will barely even notice."
"No." He croaked, hating her. "No."
"I can't really heal this." Quinn admitted. "I can't. But sleep is just one way our body heals. So I can let you sleep. At least you'll have pleasant dreams."
"Blaine." Wes' voice drifted out of the radio. "We'll save you."

Quinn couldn't hear the ghost's promise. Footsteps shuffled hurriedly down the hall. The blond whipped her head around and quickly got up from the bed. Quinn stepped out into the hallway and greeted the newcomer with surprise. "Mike?"
"Quinn!" Mike hollered loudly. "Tina forgot her necklace here the other day when she slept over. I didn't mean to barge into your house, but I figured you'd be okay if I came up and knocked on your door."
"Tina." Quinn echoed distractedly. "You're here for Tina's necklace. Stay right there. I'll get it. It's in my bedroom."
"Sure." Mike promised. "No problem! Thanks!"
A loud bang made Blaine jump, but he still couldn't fully open his tired eyes. The doorway reappeared. A tall, lanky Asian teen dragged Quinn through the barrier and unceremoniously dumped her limp body into the armchair. "Blaine!"
"What?" He mumbled, staring at his rescuer. "Who?"
"Trent!" The teenager announced, smiling. "I'm here to save you."
"How?" Blaine felt ropey arms encircle his slim waist, lifting him into a fireman's carry.

"Sometimes the dead can be connected to the living in unique ways." Trent explained, puffing loudly as he hauled Blaine through the door. "Mike was feeling down. So he cut himself."
"Just like you did." Blaine squeezed his friend's arm. "Trent. Thanks."
"Judy is out." Trent informed him, struggling with the locked door downstairs. "She's gathering her coven together. Left Quinn in charge."
Snowflakes drifted into Blaine's eyes, but he didn't care. The coven wouldn't be able to harm him tonight. Relief consumed his body. "You saved me, Trent. Who's car is that?"
"Mike's." Trent shrugged, opening the passenger door and placing Blaine into the seat. "I'm going to drive you over to Kurt's house."

Wes, David, and Jeff popped into the vehicle and peered worriedly at him. The ghosts remained tense during their brief journey. Blaine nodded off for a while, content that he was free from the coven's tight grip. "Thank you."
The car came to an abrupt stop. Trent doubled over in pain, holding his arm painfully. "Wes, I can't control him anymore." Sorrow edged into his statement. "Goodbye, Blaine."
"Wait." Blaine sat up in his seat, staring at Trent. "Where are you going?"
"Trent committed suicide because he felt guilty." Wes explained mournfully, dropping his head in grief. "When he was alive, he participated in a pretty horrible attack."
"I killed someone, Blaine." Trent heaved, a strange look on his face. "I killed a boy like you. Helped my friends corner him and beat him until he died. I'm sorry."
"He stayed behind." David placed a hand on Trent's shoulders. "Because he wanted a chance to redeem himself. Help someone in need."
"Didn't know it would be you." Trent confessed, eyes dimming. "But I'm glad it was."

The light in Trent's eyes faded. Mike slumped into the steering wheel, unconscious. Blaine shook his shoulder. "Trent?"
"He's gone, Blaine." Wes croaked. "He won't be coming back."
"There's Kurt and his dad." David announced, shifting the awkward and tense moment into a note of happiness. "Wave them over."
It took a lot of effort, but Blaine managed to lift his hand. Kurt spotted the car and urged his father to get in the back. Burt Hummel grunted, noting the sleeping teen at the wheel. "What's he doing here?"

"He doesn't need medical attention." Kurt eyed his fellow classmate. "I think some of Blaine's friends brought him here."
"The same ones that are messing with our electricity and making our utility bills climb?" Burt slowly got into the car, wincing as he climbed inside. "Those friends?"
"Yes." Blaine blushed with embarrassment. "How did you find out about them?"

"A friend." Kurt smiled, pulling Mike out of the front seat and helping him into the back. "She explained everything to me."
"We're taking him to a hospital, right?" Blaine insisted, staring at Mike's limp body. "He sliced his arm open."
"It won't need stitches." Kurt sighed and shook his head. "Mike sees a therapist on a regular basis, and his parents know he self-harms. He'll wake up in a few hours and he'll think this was just a dream."

"Oh." Blaine blinked in confusion. "Where are we going after that?"
"We're following your friend's suggestion." Burt pointed east. "We're going to your grandmother's house."
"She said she could help us." Kurt looked eager, and slightly hopeful. "Right now, this is our best and only option."

The engine started. Music filled the roomy and spacious Honda. After several minutes, a mid-sized yellow house came into sight. Kurt parked the car and helped Mike to the front door. The Changs whisked their son and his friend inside. Blaine wanted to scream at them that they needed to leave before Judy discovered he'd escaped. Once his agitated breaths had fogged the windows, Burt reached his hand forward and patted Blaine's shoulder.
"Take it easy, kid." Burt's eyes softened. "We're leaving town in a blizzard. According to your grandma, 'clouds will fill our shoes'. She said we'd be safe. Until we hit state lines."

Blaine sluggishly turned around. "You knew about Elizabeth being a witch, didn't you?"
"'Course I did." Burt laughed, which turned into a hacking cough. "We had an honest relationship. She saved my life back when we were in high school."
"With magic?" He hadn't known that Elizabeth could heal. "Was there an accident?"
"Robbery." Burt confessed. "Elizabeth saved my life."

"Does Kurt know about this?" He had no idea how much the other boy knew about his own past. "About all of it?"
"He does now." Burt rubbed his hand over his bald head. "Didn't know he was a warlock. Not until my heart attack. Elizabeth always insisted that magic ran strictly in females and not males. I didn't think twice about it until a few months ago, when I started dating Carol."
"Carol." Blaine jumped in his seat. "Who's she?"

"My girlfriend." Burt explained. "When I was in the hospital, she told me that Elizabeth had lied to me to protect Kurt. Carol and Elizabeth both had sons. When my wife realized that her son was a Warlock, she panicked because she knew her enemies would try to steal him away. So Carol lied and claimed her son was the warlock. Of course, Elizabeth set up a little spell that made everyone believe that little white lie."
"How did they find out it was Kurt?" Blaine felt incredibly tired. "And not Carol's son?"
"They tested them." Burt shook his head in disgust. "Finn failed the test. Kurt didn't. They knew that Carol and Elizabeth were lying, and had been for years."

The Chang's front door swung open. Kurt stepped back out into the blizzard and hugged a rotund Asian woman goodbye. Her cheeks were red from crying. Blaine leaned against the window, happy they were finally getting back on the road. Kurt got into the car and rubbed his hands together.
"How did it go?" Burt asked artlessly. "How's Mike?"
"In bed." Kurt revved the engine and pulled out into the white, barely visible road. Few cars would dare to drive in such treacherous conditions. "His parents were grateful that I brought him home, but they're devastated he cut himself again. I guess he hasn't done it for a while. Mrs. Chang said they've done their best to help their son-let him dance, let him stay in Glee Club, let him date and go out-but sometimes he just gets so depressed that he can't fight those urges anymore."

Their voices lulled Blaine into sleep. White roads and fresh snow filled his vision. A convenience store came into sight. Blaine eyed his gas gage, hovering past empty, and smiled. The old Chevy really could go forty miles on fumes. He parked next to a gas pump and hurried inside the store. Some jerky sounded fantastic at the moment. Maybe the clerk wouldn't check his identification card if he bought some smokes. Blaine grabbed the Slim Jim's off the shelves and eyed the many soda choices in the refrigerator.

An angry voice interrupted his silent debate over cherry seven-up or pepsi. Blaine turned, only to be hit by something hard and hot. Pain erupted in his chest. Metal flashed under the bright florescent lighting. Someone screamed and another shot rang out. A brown haired girl with breathtaking blue-green eyes loomed above him. Her hands pressed into his gaping chest wound.
"You're not supposed to die." The woman decided, tears streaming down her face. "We're supposed to get married. I saw it in a dream."
"I'd marry you." He agreed, wishing he could live for her sake. "Elizabeth. You never seemed interested in any of us, you know. You were always too good for this town. Would you tell your brother that I'm sorry I harassed him?"
"Of course." She ran her hands along his side. "I'm not letting you die. I can fix you."

Warmth started to course through Blaine's body. The chest wound healed as Elizabeth chanted and raised her hands over him. Soon, nothing hurt at all. Blaine sat up, staring at his savior as she collapsed against the shelves. "Marry me."
The sound of soft, perfectly clear singing dragged Blaine away from the dream. Music played softly from the car's stereo. Kurt sang along to Lady Gaga, hitting each and every high note without trouble.

"You're quite a good singer, you know." Blaine informed him. "I don't mind waking up to your voice."
"Blaine!" Kurt blushed fiercely. "I'm sorry if I woke you. Singing helps distract me. Had a lot on my mind. Sorry."
"Don't be." He shrugged, craning his neck to find Burt fast asleep in the back. "Where are we?"
"Near the border." Kurt gave him a thin smile. "The snow's coming down, but the roads are still open."
"Are we stopping at all tonight?" Blaine rolled his shoulders, acutely aware of his familiar and annoying headache. "Even at least for food? I think my stomach is rebelling."

His appetite had returned in full force, demanding a satisfying meal as a compensation for the meager ones he'd consumed earlier. Kurt bit his lip and considered the request. "I'm not sure if it's safe to stop."
"What did my grandmother say?" He had a burning need to see her, even though they had never met or spoken to each other during his lifetime. "Did she call?"
"Connie said that we shouldn't stop until we cross the state line." Kurt explained. "And we'll hit Michigan in about an hour."
"Then we'll wait." Blaine smiled. "Kurt?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."

Blaine was about to finish his gratitude by complimenting Kurt on his beautiful eyes, but he never got the chance. The front tire blew. Ominous hissing precluded the Honda swerving in the snow. Kurt expertly corrected the car, let off the gas, and slowly eased it to a stop.
"Looks like we got a flat." Kurt zipped up his heavy parka and got out. "I'll change it."
"I'll help." Blaine offered, no longer feeling the urgent need to sleep. "I think I'm better now."

The snow fell around them. Kurt got out a jack, only to be stopped by a piercing cry. Elizabeth swooped out of the evening sky. Blaine cried out, watching as Kurt tumbled clumsily to the ground.
"Blaine." Elizabeth slammed him into the car. "I need a taste. Can't-can't fight it anymore."
"No!" He struggled against her, trying to free his flailing limbs. "No!"

Fingers dug painfully into his arm, ripping away the cast and yanking out stitches. He screamed as her mouth touched his skin. Fire burned through his body. Everything else faded into black. Someone called Blaine's name repeatedly. Kurt stood above him, eyes wide and terrified at the blood pooling around his torso. Elizabeth hungrily licked her fingers, shuddering as she consumed the red liquid.
"Needed it." She stared at him for a moment. "Sorry. Sorry."

The ghost walked into the snow, disappearing from sight. Blaine watched her go and wailed in pain. Trent had sacrificed himself for nothing. Wes, David, Jeff, and the other Warblers stood at the edges of the forest. They had lost one of their own to another world, one they had yet to venture into. He drifted as slender arms wrapped around his waist, falling into a black abyss. Kurt's worried eyes were the last thing Blaine saw before he passed out.