Author's Note: Hello again, my dears!

Well, I hope you liked that little twist at the end of the last chapter. Gotta love drama. ;) Now that we have reached this point, though, I suppose I should mention that we're nearing the end. I figure this story will be (roughly) between twenty-five and thirty chapters in total. At the end, I'll let you know what my next projects might be, just in case anyone's interested in reading more. :)

Anyway, thank you for your reviews, and enjoy this next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the show Glee.

~Chapter 20: Runaway~

They ran.

They ran in cold darkness, the only sounds fading into the background as Kurt's car came into view. He had parked half a block from the house. In reality, he knew that it wasn't all that far away, but the knowledge that Mr. Anderson could have already broken free of Finn's grasp made every inch feel like a mile.

When they at last reached the car, Kurt was shaking almost too violently to unlock the doors. He finally succeeded, only to find himself groaning exasperatedly at the sight of someone barreling out of Quinn's house.

Blaine's gaze followed to where the figure was rushing toward a parked car on the opposite end of the street. "Give me the keys!"

Kurt complied without hesitation, leaping into the passenger's seat as Blaine got behind the wheel and instantly hit the gas. The engine growled, and then the car was speeding to the end of the road and whipping around the first turn. Kurt locked his eyes on the area behind them, keeping an eye out for following headlights.

Then he saw him.

"Blaine, he's right behind us!"

Blaine's eyes widened as he stared at the red stoplight in front of them. There was nowhere to go but forward, and stopping here would only give Mr. Anderson a chance to follow them more closely. It was now or never. "Okay, hang on!"

"Blaine, you've got to be kidding me-"

An angry chorus of horns rang out between the squealing of tires on asphalt as Blaine lurched into the traffic, swerving expertly to avoid an oncoming taxi. Kurt barely blinked an eye- though he wasn't entirely sure he could have done so if he had wanted to- and then the other cars were behind them. It took a moment for him to realize that they were alive and had made it out of the intersection in one piece.

Okay, so this was the only time Kurt would ever be thankful for Blaine's tendency to push the speed limit.

Twisting around to stare out the window again, Kurt watched as the vehicle Mr. Anderson had been driving steadily shrunk into the distance. Then Blaine turned a corner, and it was gone entirely.

Kurt let out a heavy sigh and collapsed back into his seat. "Oh my god…" he choked out, his stomach turning viciously as the car flew around another turn. "God, I can't believe this is happening. I think I'm gonna be sick."

Blaine reached out, his fingers gripping Kurt's, steadying him. "Kurt, breathe. We lost him. It's okay."

Kurt's chest heaved as he tried to obtain a full breath, focusing on the cool feeling of Blaine's fingertips against his skin. Mostly, though, he was just trying to disperse the memory of Mr. Anderson's terrible eyes staring him down, threatening him. "Blaine, w-where are we going?" he asked finally, glancing to his left and wincing at the sight of blood left untouched on Blaine's face.

Blaine's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles going white. Kurt caught a glint of panic in his eyes. "I… I don't know," he said. "But we can't go back."

Kurt's stomach lurched again. "Blaine, he must know something to have shown up at Quinn's party! What if he goes to my house next? My dad's there!"

Blaine's expression darkened. "I know," he answered, his gaze locked on the road ahead. "That's why we can't turn around. Everyone will be safer if they don't have anything to hide. The only thing he's really going to want to know is where to find me."

Kurt blinked, his breath coming in short, unsteady gasps as he tried to clear his head long enough to work out a solution. If they turned back, Mr. Anderson would track them down and inevitably attack Blaine. If they stayed away, his family and the Cohen-Changs would all be confused and in danger. He wanted so badly to go home and make sure no one had been hurt, but what choice did they have?

With trembling hands, Kurt slid his cell phone from his pocket and sent a short text message to his father, Finn, and Tina:

With Blaine. We're safe. Please get out of Lima as soon as possible- go where he won't find you. Tell the police what happened. Be careful.

Kurt stared at his phone for a long moment, hating what he had to do next. He wanted to talk to somebody, to find out what had happened since they had left the party. He wanted to make sure someone knew where they were headed, just in case. Blaine was right, though- the less everyone knew, the safer they would be. And Kurt was sure that the sound of panic in his own father's voice would break his restraint entirely.

Sending out a silent prayer to the dwarf on the dark side of the moon that the others would be able to handle the situation without him, Kurt shut off his phone and shoved it back into his pocket.

Blaine drove and drove, until Kurt lost track of where they were and was too tired to try to figure it out. Finally, they arrived in a small, quiet town with a motel advertising vacancies. Blaine parked so that they were mostly hidden behind a tree, making no move to leave the car once it had stopped. "Guess this is it for the night…" he said, eyes on the building in front of them. The lights on the neon sign over its main entrance flickered unenthusiastically. "I mean, it's no five-star resort or anything, but…"

"It's fine, Blaine." Kurt sighed, looking from his own disheveled appearance to Blaine's bloodied face. They had bigger problems to worry about than finding a comfortable place to sleep for the night. "Then again, I doubt if anyone's going to give us a place to stay while we look like this." He leaned over, opening the glove box and digging around. A moment later, he held up a tissue, turning to Blaine and wiping at his lip and chin carefully. "Does it hurt?"

Blaine averted his eyes. "I've had worse," he answered automatically. Kurt winced at this, sinking into the realization that Blaine was undeniably telling the truth.

Eventually, Kurt finished his cleaning process and declared Blaine presentable enough to leave the car. He turned to open the door. "You might want to ditch the wings first," Blaine suggested with a little smirk.

Kurt backtracked. "Oh, wow, I completely forgot," he said. Gingerly, he pulled the wings from his shoulders. One looked bent beyond repair; the other was ruffled and messy. Unfortunately, he had neglected to protect them amidst the panic. "Guess I won't be wearing this costume again," he muttered, tucking the wings together dejectedly and placing them in the backseat.

"It was nice while it lasted," Blaine offered. He glanced down at his own outfit. "Think we look suspicious?"

"Well, it is Halloween. I'm sure there have been lots of bizarre-looking people walking around all night. Let's just go in there and hope for the best, shall we?"

Blaine nodded, turning to open the car door. Kurt adjusted his shirt and did the same, trying to ignore the incessant feeling of nervousness that had settled in his gut. It was irrational, obviously. They were being hunted down by a violent, enraged man, Kurt didn't know what condition his family was in at the moment, and he had no idea where he and Blaine were or what they would do in the morning. And yet, his heart was pounding, his thoughts lost on the fact that he had a night completely alone with Blaine.

x.x.x

The room wasn't bad, with its decent-looking bathroom and thankfully clean interior. It wasn't good, either, but then again Blaine had made no high expectations. They were runaways, and this was their hideout. And it was small and terribly decorated, with a bed that squeaked when he went to sit down on it, but it would have to do. Blaine was sure he could have driven no more if he'd tried; he was so tired. Unfortunately, the shock had settled in along with the exhaustion, clenching at his nerves and leaving no leeway for rest.

He sat, staring at his hands, trying and failing to ignore the monotonous ache in his jaw. His head pounded, his thoughts a mess.

Why did all this have to happen to him? And why now?

Blaine didn't notice Kurt's presence behind him until he felt a pair of hands at his shoulders. "You're freaking out, aren't you?" he asked, fingers skillfully kneading the tense muscles under Blaine's skin. He could almost hear his body relaxing at the touch, as though a steam had built up inside of him and Kurt was permitting it to escape.

Blaine sighed heavily, half relief and half distress. "It's just… so much has been happening lately…"

Kurt hummed in agreement, massaging his hands along Blaine's spine. "I know, but… we're safe here." He paused, as if taking special care in choosing his next words. "He won't hurt you again."

Biting his lip, Blaine tried not to focus on the fact that Kurt might be wrong. Surely his father could evade the police yet again. For all they knew, Finn had been hurt after they had left the party. Mr. Anderson could have found Blaine's mother, or Burt, or Tina, and turned on them for helping Blaine. He could have been waiting just around the corner, on the other side of the motel room door…

"God, Blaine, you're so tense," Kurt commented, working his way back to where Blaine's shoulders had visibly tightened at the thought of his father. "Stop worrying so much."

"I can't."

Kurt laughed under his breath, shifting his weight so that he was closer to Blaine, his mouth just inches from his ear. "You can," Kurt countered softly. "I'm not sure of a lot of things, but I'm almost positive we're going to be completely fine tonight. Just relax."

Blaine shivered as Kurt's lips grazed the base of his neck. His hands compressed and released again in a perfect rhythm, until at last all the stress in Blaine's body let loose and he collapsed back into Kurt.

"Feeling better yet?" Kurt smirked, dropping a quick kiss on Blaine's cheek.

Blaine nodded slowly, suddenly very much aware of how utterly alone he and Kurt were at the moment, how close they were, how incredible Kurt's touch had made him feel and how desperately he wanted more. The words were out of Blaine's mouth before he had a chance to think better of them. "Can I kiss you?"

Kurt laughed, his eyes shining in the dim light of the lamp beside the bed. "Do you have to ask?"

"I like to." Blaine smiled a little, resting his forehead against Kurt's. It felt as though it had been ages since he had felt so weightless and happy… Kurt certainly knew how to work miracles on his spirit.

Kurt's eyelids fluttered shut. Blaine could feel his breath against his own mouth, warm and sweet and inviting, and all around him was the smell of Kurt, something like a mix of coffee and vanilla. It seemed that Blaine was drowning, getting lost in Kurt, Kurt, Kurt. Everything Kurt.

Delicate fingers traced a pattern across Blaine's back and down his arms. A jolt of pleasure shot through him like electricity, his eyes rolling involuntarily at the sensation. How was he supposed to think about anything with Kurt touching him like that? "You're so…" Blaine's words caught in his throat, only to be replaced by some other noise, something between a hum and a moan and a sigh that he couldn't quite name.

"Yeah?" Kurt murmured as their lips met, soft and familiar.

Blaine couldn't help himself… he wanted Kurt. His hands seemed to travel of their own accord, moving up to tangle in the back of his boyfriend's carefully styled hair. "So attractive," he breathed, bringing his lips to Kurt's again.

Kurt froze in surprise, and Blaine pulled back to meet his gaze. "Wait," Kurt said. "Are you saying the fact that I can give a decent massage makes me sexy? Because I don't-"

"Hell yes," Blaine interjected with a laugh, his face lighting up at the faint blush that began to spread over Kurt's face. He smiled, resting a hand on Kurt's cheek and reveling in the warmth there beneath his fingertips. "But… but it's not just that," Blaine added, voice softer now. "You're beautiful. Everything about you." Blaine let his hand fall to where it rested just over Kurt's heart. He felt its beat- steady, full of life, all Kurt. "I never could have imagined finding someone as perfect as you."

Kurt scoffed quietly, lowering his gaze. "I'm nowhere near perfect."

Tilting his head to meet Kurt's eyes again, Blaine smiled. "You are to me," he said. "You turned my whole life around."

"Blaine-"

"You know, you never really answered my question."

Kurt looked up, confused. "What question?"

Blaine leaned forward a bit, his eyes never leaving Kurt's. "Can I kiss you?" he repeated.

Kurt's lips twitched upward and he rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous," he said, catching Blaine's mouth in a long, lingering kiss. He broke away eventually, breathless, his eyes shining as they met Blaine's gaze. "We should get some sleep," he added gently. Suddenly, Blaine realized how tired he really was, and how tired he must have appeared in order for Kurt to notice.

Blaine wanted to stay awake. He wanted to spend all of forever kissing Kurt, holding him, touching him, telling him all the things he loved about him… But, too exhausted to fight the consciousness slipping from his body, he found himself drifting off.

Kurt's eyes were the last thing he saw, and then he was dreaming.