Author's Note: Well, this chapter is LONG overdue. I've been so busy lately… it's exhausting, really. I'd much rather curl up and write this than do work, but it's been pretty unavoidable.

Also, sorry about the cliffhanger, my darlings- couldn't help myself. ;) I think you'll be surprised with the results, though!

Enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the show Glee.

~Chapter 13: Courage~

Just as Kurt was about to lose his composure completely, Blaine's expression softened and he hurried towards the group of people. Kurt just stood there in shock. Who could Blaine possibly have seen to make him react like that?

Suddenly, a petite woman pushed her way through the crowd. She stared up at Blaine in surprise, reaching a hand out to grasp his arm, saying something Kurt couldn't quite hear. Tentatively, he stepped closer.

"I know… I know," Blaine was saying. His eyes traveled over the crowd again. "You're alone, right? Dad's not here?"

"I haven't seen him in days."

Kurt blinked. This was Blaine's mother. She had to be. The woman standing with Blaine now was thin, timid-looking… still, the resemblance was there; her dark curls were unmistakably familiar.

Blaine let out a little sigh of relief. "We really need to talk," he said softly. "Do you have some time?"

She nodded, eyes sad, like she was certain that the conversation would not hold good news. Kurt wondered how much she already knew.

"I want you to meet someone," Blaine continued. He turned, looking to Kurt. The woman glanced up as well, silent curiosity registering on her face at the sight of them together. "Kurt, this is my mom. Mom… this is Kurt. My boyfriend."

Kurt was taken aback by the fearlessness in Blaine's declaration. Then again, Blaine had said that his relationship with his mother was distant, not hateful.

Offering the best smile he could manage on the spot, Kurt extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson," he said.

"Amie," she corrected softly, placing her hand in his and dropping her gaze after only a short moment. Kurt suddenly got the impression that Blaine's mother was not just a reserved person, but had more than likely lost her confidence to years of marital turmoil, fear, and submission. My mom's really shy, he remembered Blaine saying. I think Dad scares her, too, to be honest. Most of the time she just takes on extra hours at the office to avoid coming home.

Kurt swallowed hard. How much would the Andersons have to go through before their family was on stable ground? That was, if it could ever be "stable."

Blaine paused for a moment before leading the others to a quiet area where they could sit, at the far end of the food court. All was quiet for a moment, broken only by the tiny sigh that escaped from Amie's mouth. To Kurt, it seemed as though she was accepting the inevitable, waiting for Blaine to tell her that everything was far from okay. And although he knew that Amie Anderson was no perfect mother, her obvious struggle was enough to make Kurt's heart ache with sympathy. She was clearly torn between the desire to love her son and the independence that had been stolen from her.

"Mom…" Blaine started carefully.

Amie stared down at the table, and Kurt watched a tear trail down her cheek. He felt like an outsider, like he was interrupting an important family moment. He turned to Blaine questioningly, but Blaine just took his hand and squeezed gently.

"What do you know?"

Amie just shook her head, speechless, blinking back tears.

Blaine bit his lip. "I know it's not easy to hear this, but I have to tell you what's going on," he said softly. "The police are looking for Dad. He's been threatening to hurt me if he finds me. I'm not even safe at Dalton anymore… and… and I really don't think it's safe for you to be around him, either."

Amie's response was automatic, nearly rehearsed. "Blaine, he's your father. He's my husband. We love each other."

Blaine looked pained. Did his mother even know what love was anymore? "He's having an affair," he admitted finally, barely breathing those words that were so hard to say.

It was all so hard to watch. Kurt wanted to get up and walk away. He wanted to save Blaine and his mother from all the sadness, all the fear… But what could he do? What could anyone do?

"I'm so sorry," Blaine said, disentangling his fingers from Kurt's to place a hand over his mother's trembling one. She kept her gaze downcast, though the tears streaming down her cheeks were unhidden. "Please don't go back to him."

Amie's shoulder's shook as she choked back a sob. "Where else am I supposed to go?"

"I… There must be somewhere…"

As Blaine's words trailed off, Kurt's mind began to race. He knew that Burt and Carole would probably be willing to take Amie into their home, as well. After the events of that morning, however, the risk of Mr. Anderson realizing that Kurt was the one hiding Blaine seemed to have increased. What Blaine and Amie really needed now was a very secret place, somewhere no one would think to look- no mistakes this time.

And it just so happened that Kurt knew exactly the place.

"I'll be right back," he said suddenly, jumping up from his seat. Blaine looked up in confusion. "I have an idea… I think I know someone who can help. I'll just be a few minutes."

x.x.x

Blaine couldn't tell if his hands were shaking, or if it was just his mother's shaking under his own.

It was strange to be here with her, trying to comfort her. Blaine could barely remember the last time they had actually spent time together. How long had it been since they had even seen each other? Months?

Blaine couldn't stand the realization that he had left her so defenseless. It was clear that things had gotten out of hand recently; Amie was too thin, too quiet… too fragile in every way possible. She wasn't the same person he remembered. Why hadn't he ever called home? Why hadn't he at least checked to make sure that she was okay?

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered, his voice catching slightly as it occurred to him that there was not much he could do to make up for her suffering. They had both been captured by this terrible situation, forced to fight or find shelter or give in. Escape would never erase all the battle scars.

And… and what if Amie had never been tied to her husband's prejudice? What if she had been free to think and do as she pleased from the very beginning? Maybe the relationship she and Blaine shared would be different. Maybe Blaine would have actually grown up with the love of a family in his life, even if it had just been the two of them, mother and son.

Those were the sort of thoughts that really threw Blaine's feelings into a different light. Knowing that his mother was going through so much pain and misery, Blaine despised his father. He despised thinking of him as hisfather. He wanted to forget that they had ever been called a "family" or associated themselves with words like love.

Richard Anderson didn't have a clue what love meant.

Amie shook her head. "It's not… it's not your fault."

Blaine didn't have an answer for that. He knew she was right- it wasn't his fault. And yet, he had spent so many years being treated as the basis of the problems in their family. Fights between his parents, his fights with his parents, awkward situations involving houseguests and visiting relatives… all of it had seemed to rest on Blaine's shoulders. It was too heavy a weight to forget so easily.

"I'm glad you're here," he said finally, because it was the only thing that he could think of.

x.x.x

"I've called in a favor," Kurt announced, joining their somber party at the table, rather out of place with his smile.

Blaine looked up at him unsurely. "What do you mean?"

"Remember Tina? From dinner the other night?"

Slowly, Blaine nodded. He had no clue where Kurt was going with this, but he did seem pleased with himself.

"She and her mother have been trying to rent out a spare room at their house," Kurt explained. "Tina's been asking us to help her advertise it to seniors who might like to use it during college or something. When you said you needed a place to stay, it was the first thing that came to my mind… so I just called. The Cohen-Changs said that they would be more than willing to give you the room for free until you're both safe."

Amie stared at him, all wide eyes and small features. "I… I couldn't… not without even paying them-"

"Mom," Blaine interjected, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "You should go. Dad wouldn't…" Blaine nearly flinched at his own word choice. Richard, he revised mentally. "He wouldn't look there. You'd be totally out of danger… besides, it's only for a little while."

Biting her lip, Amie answered with a slow nod. "You're right," she said. She sniffed and wiped at her wet eyes. "I've been meaning to… fix this for a while now. It's about time someone did something."

Kurt smiled softly. He was so grateful to be able to help; it meant a lot to have encouraged bravery from such a broken person, even though they had just met. It made him proud of her. She and Blaine were stronger than they realized.

Blaine leaned over to pull his mother into a hug. She sighed tiredly, but pulled her arms around him as well.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked tentatively. He paused as Blaine moved back to his original position and turned to face him. "Tina and her mother invited you to stay with them, too. You'd be sleeping on the couch, but it's no worse than what you have at my house, and it would probably be… better. Especially after what happened at Dalton…"

Blaine swallowed. He hadn't thought of that. It would only make sense for him to stay with his mother to protect her, and to keep away from Kurt to protect him. Still, he hated the idea of being separated from Kurt now, after what they'd been through and the way they had connected. "I…um-" he started.

Kurt took his hand. "We'll talk," he promised.

Blaine let out a sigh, relieved to be able to avoid having this conversation in public. He had a lot of things to think about, and having a discussion focused solely on him at the moment seemed like too much to handle. In fact, he sort of wanted to go back to the house and curl up together in Kurt's bed and sleep forever.

Amie pulled a tissue from her purse and wiped at her eyes again. "I'd better go," she said. "I have to work soon."

Blaine frowned slightly. "Take a day off, Mom," he suggested. He nodded in the direction of a nearby clothing store. "Buy yourself something. Have some fun. You deserve it."

Smiling thinly, Amie slipped her bag over her shoulder and stood up. "You've got a big heart, Blaine," she said, but it was like they had just met and this was her first impression of him. Maybe it was, in a way. Blaine didn't know what to think. "Thank you," Amie added sincerely. "For everything."

x.x.x

The parking lot was relatively quiet, though it was still midday and the mall would not be closed for hours. Clouds hung gray and silent overhead, reflecting the dreary and exhausted feelings building up in Blaine. There was too much to consider and plan. If he was being honest with himself right now, giving up felt like a very inviting option.

But he could never do that.

"So, I got you something," Kurt said out of the blue, a smile tugging at his lips. "I saw it when I walked away to call Tina, and I thought it might cheer you up a bit."

Blaine tilted his head, smiling in spite of himself and just looking for a moment. Kurt was far too thoughtful- Blaine wondered how he might ever be able to match up to such perfection. Was it even possible?

Kurt reached into one of his shopping bags and produced a small box. He placed it in Blaine's hand. "Don't tell me I 'shouldn't have,'" Kurt added matter-of-factly. "Because I wanted to."

A breath of a laugh escaped Blaine's lips as he glanced down and opened the box. Inside was a silver ring hung from a black leather chain. Blaine balanced the necklace on his palm, staring down at the single, perfect word engraved into smooth silver:

Courage.