A/N: Hey guys I'm soooo sorry. I promise I'm not dead! I'm still here – I just haven't been very inspired to write lately and I apologize. I know you guys have been extremely patient so I'm going to make a solid attempt to try and update this more often.

Can you believe we are only five chapters away from the ending?! I can't! I really hope you enjoy this chapter and I really hope you all stick it out till the end. I can't wait to see what you think!

Chapter Twenty – Impatience

I awoke to find that we were in a cheap motel room. Mercedes was sitting by a window; she hadn't yet noticed I was awake. Sam was sitting by her side and they were talking much too quietly for me to hear anything. Not that I was really paying that much attention. To the right of me, on the bed, I noticed Rachel still very much asleep.

I didn't want to alert Sam and Mercedes that I had woken up just as yet so I thought of Forks. But all it reminded me was of Burt's broken expression, the way Blaine had looked when he had thought of Jesse, Quinn's resentment — the dead look in Blaine's eyes after he kissed me the last time… I couldn't stand to remember it. So I tried to focus positively. I wished Rachel would wake up. She could be incredibly distracting when she wanted to be and God knows I needed that right now.

We had done a whole week's worth of driving in three days despite the fact that Sam and Mercedes had stopped several times for Rachel and I to 'recharge'. I remember when we drove in this morning. Lima was exactly the same as when I had left it. I'd never thought that when I moved to Forks, that I would ever see Ohio again. Yet here it was in all its overstated glory.

"Hey Kurt," said Sam, noticing I was awake though I hadn't moved at all. My emotions running rampage must have been a dead giveaway for him with his ability. "Any idea how far the airport is from here?"

"Why?" I asked curiously, "Are we flying somewhere?"

"No, but it's better to be close, just in case." I gave Sam the directions to the Allen County airport and then sat up properly resting my head against the head board. Rachel stirred besides me but did not wake. She looked ridiculous in Emma's clothes but Berry never knew how to dress well anyway so it actually counted as an improvement.

Judging by the twenty-four hour digital clock on the nightstand it was three in the morning. I rose to meet Sam and Mercedes by the window and pulled back the drapes to look outside.

It was really dark. Our room overlooked out on a deserted section of the freeway. I looked down at myself and realized I couldn't remember the last time I had changed clothes. Grateful for the duffel bag Mercedes gestured her eyes towards, I headed towards the bathroom.

"You look like you could sleep longer," Mercedes said.

I just shook my head.

"Berry is still out of it."

This time I nodded. I still hadn't said anything.

Mercedes looked at me worriedly. "Okay, freshen up then. Maybe she'll be awake when you get out. I don't know how but he's eaten even less than you so she's bound to be hungry soon." She drifted silently back to the curtains and closed them securely before turning back to me. "We'll need to stay inside. I've already ordered some food for you; it's in the front room. Blaine reminded me that you guys have to eat a lot more frequently than we do."

I was instantly more alert. "Blaine called?"

"No," she said, and watched as my face fell. "He mentioned it before we left."

After my bathroom break, I felt fresher, awake. Rachel on the other hand still hadn't woken up. With all fairness, it was three in the morning. I wasn't worried, just needy. And I felt like we had been doing nothing but sleeping.

I followed Mercedes into the living room of the motel. I could hear a low buzz of voices coming from the TV. Sam sat motionlessly at the desk in the corner, his eyes watching the actors intently while his lips moved silently. He turned to me, "I've seen these same actors in television for over forty years which means I can do some killer impressions – wanna hear?"

Needing something to distract myself I nodded. Mercedes laughed before Sam could even start. I had to admit it was highly entertaining. But the moment didn't last. My mind was too preoccupied.

I sat on the floor next to the coffee table, where a tray of food waited, and began picking at it without noticing what I was eating.

I ate slowly, watching Mercedes turning now and then to still laugh at Sam even though he had stopped. I thought that they were both distracted enough to gratefully lessen the attention on me but I was wrong.

"What's wrong, Kurt?"

"Nothing's wrong." The fact that I had stopped eating wasn't really backing up my theory. "I'm just not hungry. So what exactly are we waiting here for?"

"Well we're waiting for Will to call."

"And should he have called by now?"

When she didn't answer, I felt worry grow in the pit of my stomach. "What does that mean?" My voice quavered, and I fought to control it. "Why hasn't called yet?"

"It just means that they don't have anything to tell us yet."

But her voice was too even, and the air was harder to breathe. Sam was suddenly beside Mercedes, closer to me than usual.

"Kurt," he said in a suspiciously soothing voice. "You have nothing to worry about. You and Rachel are completely safe here."

"I know that."

"Then why are you frightened?" he asked, confused. He might feel the tenor of my emotions, but he couldn't read the reasons behind them.

"You heard what David said." My voice was just a whisper, but I was sure they could hear me." He said Jesse was lethal. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? If something happens to any of them, Will, Puck… Blaine…" I gulped. "If Sebastian hurts Emma…" My voice had grown higher, a note of hysteria beginning to rise in it. "How could I live with myself when it's my fault? None of you should be risking yourselves for me —"

"Kurt, Kurt, stop," he interrupted me; his words pouring out so quickly they were hard to understand. "You're worrying about all the wrong things, Kurt. Trust me on this — none of us are in jeopardy. We're kinda superheroes! Our whole family is strong. Our only fear is losing you and Rachel."

"But why should you —?" Mercedes interrupted this time, touching my cheek with her cold dark fingers.

"It's been almost a century that Blaine's been alone. You have no idea how much we've seen him change since he you arrived. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if that boy loses you?"

My guilt slowly subsided as I looked into her eyes. But, even as the calm spread over me, I knew I couldn't trust my feelings with Sam there.

It was a very long day.

We stayed in the room. Mercedes called down to the front desk and asked them to ignore our maid service for now. The windows stayed shut, the TV on, though only Sam watched it, keen to study the actors and further his impression techniques. At regular intervals, food was delivered. The silver phone resting in Mercedes' bag seemed to grow bigger as the hours passed. Rachel had woken sometime around midday but was in the bathroom for an hour and a half and ate her food in her room and talked to no one. Not even me.

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I know this is hard on you too but I just want to be alone."

So I left her alone. Drama Queen.

Sam and Mercedes were handling the situation very well. As I fidgeted and paced, they simply grew more still, two statues whose eyes followed me imperceptibly as I moved. They were relaxed, happy and able to joke with one another but stared at me as though I might break. Mercedes would duck out the room ever so often to check on Rachel. I occupied myself with memorizing the room and imagined all the ways I could redecorate it; the striped pattern of the couches, tan, peach, cream, dull gold, and tan again. Not a great combination. So I imagined I had an unlimited budget and pictured what the room would do with a unique Kurt Hummel makeover the same way I used to do when I was a child.

As the afternoon wore on, I went back to bed, simply for something to do. Rachel said nothing as I crawled under the sheets beside her. She mightn't have wanted to talk but the way she was stroking my hair told me enough.

"Rachel?" I tried, not sure if she would even respond.

"Yeah?"

I kept my voice very calm. "What do you think they're doing? All the guys back at Forks?"

"Well Mr. Cullen wanted to lead Jesse as far north as possible, wait for him to get close, and then turn and ambush him. Emma and Quinn were supposed to head west as long as they could keep Sebastian behind. If Sebastian turned around, they were to head back to Forks and keep an eye on our Dads. So I imagine things are going well if they can't call. It means Jesse is close enough that they don't want him to overhear."

"And Emma?"

"I think she must be back in Forks. She won't call if there's any chance Sebastian will overhear. I expect they're all just being very careful."

"Do you think they're all safe? Like for real?"

"I trust the Cullens."

"Would you tell me the truth, though?"

"Yes. I will always tell you the truth." Her voice was earnest. "You're my best friend, Kurt."

I deliberated for a moment, and then decided she meant it.

"Why did you tell your dads you were leaving?" My question caught her off guard. She became quiet. And then she sighed.

"I told them that I was going to find my mom… that I wished I had one my whole life and that it was their fault that I didn't."

"Oh… Rachel."

"The thing is, Kurt, they… agreed. They said they should have never denied me the right to have her in my life and were selfish to think they could provide me with everything I needed. They had only kept her away because they were scared they were going to lose me or that she would get too attached to me, or I to her, and not hold her end of the deal to stay away. But the thing is - that's not true. I never needed a mom. Not with my dads around. They were all I ever needed. And I had to lie to them and bring their biggest insecurities to surface because Jesse St James—"

"Jesse Saint sucks?" I offered and she giggled.

Our heartwarming moment was short-lived though. Without any warning, Mercedes shot into the room, her eyes wide and frightened. My head jerked up as I stared at her, startled.

"Something's changed." Her voice was urgent and Sam was by her side in an instant. He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her to the edge of where Rachel and I were sitting.

"What do you see?" he asked intently, staring into her eyes. Her eyes were focused on something very far away. I crawled over to sit closer to her, leaning into catch her low, quick voice.

"I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. Jesse is in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold… a gold stripe across the mirrors."

"Where is the room?"

"I don't know. Something is missing — another decision hasn't been made yet."

"How much time?"

"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now."

Sam's voice was calm, methodical, as he questioned her in a practiced way. "What is he doing?"

"He's watching TV… no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place."

"Can you see where he is?"

"No, it's too dark."

"And the mirror room, what else is there?"

"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits." Her eyes drifted, then focused on Sam's face.

"There's nothing else?" She shook her head. They looked at each other, motionless.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

Neither of them answered for a moment, then Sam looked at me.

"It means Jesse's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room."

"But we don't know where those rooms are?"

"No."

"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them." Mercedes' voice was bleak.

"Should we call?" I asked. They traded a serious look, undecided.

And the phone rang.

Mercedes was across the room before I could lift my head to look at it.

She pushed a button and held the phone to her ear, but she didn't speak first.

"Will," she breathed. She didn't seem surprised or relieved, the way I felt.

"Yes," she said, glancing at me. She listened for a long moment.

"I just saw him." She described again the vision she'd seen. "Whatever made him get on that plane… it was leading him to those rooms." She paused.

"Yes," Mercedes said into the phone, and then she spoke to me.

"Kurt?" She held the phone out toward me. I ran to it. "Hello?" I breathed.

"Kurt," Blaine said.

"Oh, Blaine! I was so worried."

"Kurt," he repeated my name, "I told you not to worry about anything but yourself and Rachel." It was so unbelievably good to hear his voice.

"Where are you?"

"We're outside of Vancouver. Kurt, I'm sorry — we lost him. He seems suspicious of us — he's careful to stay just far enough away that I can't hear what he's thinking. But he's gone now — it looks like he got on a plane." I could hear Mercedes filling in Sam behind me, her quick words blurring together into a humming noise.

"I know. Mercedes saw that he got away."

"You don't have to worry, though. He won't find anything to lead him to you. You just have to stay there and wait till we find him again."

"I'll be fine. Is Emma with Burt?"

"Yes — Sebastian has been in town. He went to the house, but while Burt was at work. He hasn't gone near him, so don't be afraid. Burt is safe with Emma and Quinn watching."

"And Hiram and Leroy Berry?"

"They're safe too."

"What is Sebastian doing?"

"Probably trying to pick up the trail. He's been all through the town during the night. Quinn traced him through the airport, all the roads around town, the school… he's digging, Kurt, but there's nothing to find."

"And you're sure Burt's safe?"

"Yes, Emma won't let him out of her sight. And we'll be there soon. If Jesse gets anywhere near you, we'll have him."

"I miss you," I whispered.

"I miss you too. It's like you've taken half of me away with you."

"Come and get it, then," I challenged.

"Soon, as soon as I possibly can. I will make you safe first." His voice was hard. "I love you so much, Kurt."

"I love you too," I reminded him.

I turned to give the phone back to Mercedes and found her sketching on a piece of hotel stationery. Rachel and Sam were leaning over the coffee table trying to make out the picture.

I leaned on the back of the couch, looking over her shoulder.

She drew a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band.

"It's a ballet studio," Rachel said, familiarity hitting her like a scientist with a light bulb above his head.

We all looked at her, surprised.

"Do you know this room?" Sam's voice sounded calm, but there was an undercurrent of something I couldn't identify. Mercedes bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall, the stereo and TV on a low table by the front right corner.

"It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons when I was four or five. I spent years rehearsing there. It was shaped just the same." She touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room. "That's where the bathrooms were — the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here" — She pointed to the left corner — "it was older, and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room — you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it."

Mercedes and Sam were staring at her. "Are you sure it's the same room?" Sam asked, still calm.

"No, not at all — I suppose most dance studios would look the same — the mirrors, the barre." She traced her finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. "It's just the shape that looks familiar."

"Would you have any reason to go there now?" Mercedes asked.

"No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. Not since we moved to Forks."

"So there's no way it could be connected with you?" Mercedes asked intently. "Or Kurt?"

"Well, no, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere. What about you Kurt?"

"I never took dancing lessons," I said. "Rachel, where was the studio that you used to go to?"

"It was just around the corner from our house. I used to walk thereafter school…" She said, my voice trailing off as she quickly made calculations based on the way Mercedes and Sam were looking at her.

"So it was here in Ohio, then?" Sam asked.

"Yes," she whispered. "On Pioneer Road, about a three minute walk from Elida Public School where I attended."

We all sat in silence, staring at the drawing.

Immortality must grant endless patience. Neither Sam nor Mercedes seemed to feel the need to do anything at all. For a while, Mercedes sketched the vague outline of the dark room from her vision, as much as she could see in the light from the TV. But when she was done, she simply sat, looking at the blank walls. Sam, too, seemed to have no urge to pace, or peek through the curtains, or run screaming out the door, the way Rachel or I did. I could feel her negative energy escalating from her and it was doing nothing to calm my nerves.

~.~

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