Thank you, guys! I really like your comments, you inspire me to work faster.

I gave Kurt a break in this chapter because the next one will be really tough for him.

Enjoy!

The graveyard was silent and almost empty, except from the man kneeling in front of a fine marble gravestone. Burt Hummel didn't move, he stayed at his place like in the past three hours, watching his first wife's name on the gravestone in front of him, lost in his thoughts.

He knew that it was all false, Elisabeth Hummel's body hadn't been buried here but after her disappearance, Burt had asked for a real funeral to say goodbye to his wife for the last time. It wasn't uncommon in Lima, though. The place was full of gravestones without a body buried under them, memories for families that lost beloved parents, children, sisters and brothers who wouldn't come back ever again. Once somebody was taken by the beast, they waited for a week before the funeral, waiting for them to come back.

They never did.

Burt's week was over, seven days he had spent in front of the house, day and night, waiting for his son, his only child to come home. Deep in his mind he knew that Kurt was dead, that he wouldn't come home ever again but he still couldn't accept the fact. Kurt was all he had left from his old family, the person he loved the most, he couldn't let him go so easily.

Earlier that day, Carole had joined him in front of their house, asking him carefully about the funeral. The town was waiting for the funeral to visit Kurt's empty cascet and say goodbye one more time. Children from the school who had been close to the son, adults who had loved the sweet, gentle boy Kurt had been. But Burt couldn't do it. A funeral would make everything final, make him accept the fact that his boy was no longer alive and he couldn't do it. So he fled, hid in the graveyard beside his first wife's headstone, praying for everybody and everything to send his son back.

Kurt hadn't deserved this. He had been a good boy, taking care of his widowed father, helping him to get through the loss of his wife. He needed Kurt more than anybody. Kurt had always known what his father needed, he had been able to make him smile even in his worst state. And now... Now Kurt was gone. And he wasn't going back.

Burt let out a loud sob and hugged the headstone in front of him. His heart was broken, shattered into million pieces and there was nothing to make it better. He wanted to die, to just give up on everything and go after his family. He couldn't make another day without them.

Blinded by his grief, he reached for his knife at his waist. He had gotten it from Elisabeth, it had been a present for his birthday just after Kurt's birth and he always kept it close. He had never used it before but now it seemed like the perfect weapon to use for the last time in his life. He turned it around in his shaky hands while going through some memories of the two person he had loved the most. Hesitantly, he raised the knife to his own neck, crying silently.

"I'm so sorry" he whispered. "I should have kept you both safe but I failed badly. Please, forgive me."

He was about to slice his own neck when he heard a scream and felt somebody grabbing his hand, twisting his wrist so he dropped the knife.

"What are you doing, Burt?" Carole asked from behind him, squeezing his arm desperately.

"Let me die!" Burt shouted, struggling in Carole and Finn's hold.

"It won't bring him back!" Carole said.

"Just let me die... Let me go after them" Burt cried brokenly. "I have nothing... nothing left. I can't do this any longer. I can't bear the pain. Please, let it go away."

Burt was so devastated, it broke his wife's heart. She knew how much Kurt had meant for Burt but she loved the man. She couldn't let him do something stupid.

"Let's go home" she said quietly.

"It shouldn't have happened this way" Burt said quietly but he didn't move. "Children suppose to bury their parents. He... He should be alive. He didn't deserve this."

"I know, honey" Carole said, hugging her husband.

"I miss him so much" Burt whispered. "My little boy..."

Carole looked at Finn who was standing behind Burt, keeping his hands on the man's shoulder. They were all upset because of what had happened to Kurt but they had to be strong for Burt's sake.

"I'm gonna make you a tea. It will ease the pain and help you get some rest" Carole saide and nodded towards Finn who helped Burt to get to his feet.

"Nothing can help me" Burt said tiredly. "Not if they can't bring him back."

He shook Finn's hands off and started walking towards the gate, slowly and limping as an old man. Like somebody who had nothing left to live for. And that's how he felt.

~ o ~

Kurt sighed as he turned away from the window. He was in his bedroom that Blaine had picked up for him, he had been aloowed to sleep here again after their conversation the other day. He had been surprised that Blaine hadn't wanted him to sleep in the cage again but somehow it had made him relieved, too. Now that he knew it had been the place where his mother had spent her last days, alone and scared, he didn't want to go near that cage again. It would have reminded him on his dear mother and he couldn't bear the pain. It was enough that he couldn't see his father anymore.

He looked out through the window again. The sun was shining brightly outside and he could see the garden from his room. It could have been beautiful once but now it was untended except from a few rose bushes near the house. Kurt had seen the old man tending to those roses earlier that day and Blaine visiting them a few times after that. They could have been important for both of them.

Kurt wanted to go out to see them himself but Blaine had forbidden for him to leave his room. It wasn't locked, so it wasn't like he couldn't step outside but he wanted to make Blaine trust him. If the man didn't think that he would run away, he had better chances to leave. Because of thing was for sure, Kurt Hummel wouldn't stay in the house longer than necessary.

With nothing else to pass the day, he kept thinking about his escape. It seemed like the manor wasn't guarded at all, so if he could find the moment when Blaine was busy with something else, he could easily walk through those gates. The only problem was that other man. Kurt didn't know if he would help him or alert Blaine, so first he had to figure out if he was on his side.

The man appeared at the roses again, kneeling down slowly to cut a few flowers from the bushes. Kurt frowned, wondering who the man could be. It wasn't the first time he tried to figure out who he was, but he had never gotten closer to the answer. Blaine had called him his servant, so he could be someone from the old household who was lucky enough to survive his master's transformation. Although Kurt had another idea that seemed almost impossible but he couldn't get it out of his head. When he had asked Blaine about Cooper, the man hadn't told him exactly that he had killed his brother like his parents. And Blaine hadn't shown him the skeleton if his brother, it hadn't been in the room of their parents, so it could mean that the man was still alive. The chances weren't the best but Kurt had a feeling that he was right about it.

He wanted to talk to the man several times but Blaine seemed to be possessive about Kurt and never let the old man be alone with him. It wasn't like they never met. Kurt had to spend every evening with Blaine, eating his dinner with the black eyed man and the old man was always there, serving their food. But once everything was ready, Blaine sent him away, wanting to be all alone with Kurt.

Kurt saw Blaine appearing outside of the house. He stepped to the old man, telling him something, and the other man nodded as he stood up and left the rose bushes. Blaine stayed outside alone, lost in his thoughts as he stroked a dark red petal of the closest rose. He seemed almost normal from where Kurt was watching him. If his eyes hadn't been black, Kurt could make himself believe that Blaine's soul wasn't completely lost.

~ o ~

The garden was just as disgusting as the rest of the manor. With the workers long gone, there was nobody to keep it in order. It had been beautiful once, though. Blaine's mother had had a good sense to turn the place into a mysterious island of peace where she had spent most of her days. Blaine had liked the garden in his childhood. Mostly because of the large trees around it where he could hide from the anger of his father and cry silently without anybody bothering him.

His best memories from those years were all connected to the garden. Pamela Anderson had brought her sons outside every time the weather had been nice enough, telling them tales and teaching the boys to sing. She had taught them how to tend to her roses as well, those precious flowers she had adored the most in the garden. It had been mostly for Blaine, Cooper hadn't cared about them at all, thinking he could have spent his time more usefully inside of the house, just like his father. Blaine smiled to himself. He had made sure Cooper understood the importance of those roses right after their parents' death.

It wasn't just important because of his mother's memory, it was the place where everything had begun. It represented what Blaine had become, what he had felt after his change. It showed the beauty of being immortal and invincible but also the bad side of being left almost all alone. That's why Blaine liked spending his time in the garden.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when he found the old man kneeling on front of his favourite rose bush, cutting some of the flowers. The man turned around with wide eyes and it made Blaine satisfied how scared he seemed because of getting caught.

"You wanted me to decorate the dining room. I thought..."

Blaine stepped forward and waved him down.

"From the others. These roses are all mine" he said.

"They belong to me just as much as they belong to you" the man replied.

"Don't forget your place, servant" Blaine said in disgust. "I keep you around to take care of the manor, nothing more. I can replace you anytime I want."

"You won't" the man smiled sadly. "Nobody else knows you as well as I do. You wouldn't hurt me because I'm your only reminder from your old life. You need me."

"Don't be so sure" Blaine growled. "Leave. Now."

The man shot a last angry glare towards Blaine and left as fast as his legs could take him.

When he was alone in the garden, Blaine stepped closer to the rose bush he adored the most. It was the youngest of all but still older than a usual rose. Thanks to Blaine's magic he had gotten with his change, he could ensure a long life for his flowers. His favourite one had dark red petals and he had gotten it as a present from his mother only one day before her death. He hadn't known that his mother had bought it because she had known about her husband's plan and she had been sure that Blaine would be upset to hear the news. As it had turned out, the rose wasn't just like the others. It was special, like the creature Blaine had been turned and it hadn't been an accident that the old woman on the market had convinced Pamela to buy it. They had had plans with it after all.

He touched the dark petals lovingly. There was only one thing in the world that looked as beautiful as this rose, the boy who was watching him through his bedroom's window. Blaine had no idea why he wanted Kurt so much, what was so special in a simple peasant. But only being near Kurt drove him crazy, his scent was intoxicating and Blaine needed all of his willpower not to push him down to the nearest flat surface and his way with him.

Normally, he would, of course. He didn't even know why he hadn't done it yet when he had had so many chances. He was a lot faster and stronger than Kurt, he could have done anything to him and Kurt couldn't have stopped him. Still... When he tried to kiss him and Kurt pulled away, he imagined Kurt fighting against him desperately as he took pleasure of the boy's body. The thought made him upset for some reason and he left Kurt every time it happened to clear his mind.

Blaine ran his fingers through his hair. He had no idea what was going on with him but one thing was sure: he had to figure out how Kurt could make him feel this way.

~ o ~

That night they had dinner together again. When Blaine came for Kurt, he acted weirdly, even more than before. He barely talked to the boy as he asked him to eat with him and he did it politely, giving Kurt the chance to refuse it. Kurt thought that it was a trick, Blaine had something in his mind, so he agreed to have dinner with him. Blaine went out of the room, waiting outside for Kurt to change clothes. When the boy was ready, Blaine took his hand gently and led him into the dining room, kissing his hand as Kurt sat down. Yeah, there was definitely something wrong with him.

They spent their time in complete silence. Kurt enjoyed to finally have his hands free, being able to eat as much as he wanted without Blaine's dark magic controlling his movements. Blaine, on the other hand, barely touched his food. He kept his eyes on Kurt, not missing the smallest movement the boy made, smirking. Kurt couldn't decide what Blaine's plan could be. He could see no emotions in the man's eyes and it made him really nervous. He was afraid of what Blaine might do to him.

"Tell me about Lima" Blaine said suddenly.

"Uhm... Excuse me?" Kurt frowned. The question came out of nowhere and he didn't know what Blaine wanted with it.

"I haven't been in the town for decades" Blaine explained. "I'm just curious."

It was certainly a surprise. Blaine hadn't seemed to care about anything but himself so far.

"What do you want to know?" Kurt asked.

"There was a small shop, the Jones'. They sold the most delicious cakes in the whole area. Do they still have it?" Blaine asked.

"Yes" Kurt smiled, remembering the taste of the cakes Mercedes' mother baked. "My classmate's mother is running it now. She's the most amazing baker of the world."

"I haven't expected a simple boy like you having such an experience" Blaine laughed.

Kurt sighed and turned away. It was weird to have a normal conversation with Blaine. It made him feel like he was a usual man like him but he didn't want to see him that way. Blaine was a cruel creature who was responsible for the death of Kurt's beloved mother and who knew how many others, he shouldn't forget that.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked.

Kurt took a deep breath. He had a plan how to get out of the manor and Blaine seemed to be in a good mood, probably it was the best time to make the first step towards his freedom. He knew he could do it. He just had to remember Blaine's true self and what he had tried to do to Kurt.

"I saw that old man working outside alone" Kurt said slowly, afraid of Blaine's reaction. "I would like to help him."

"No" Blaine said immediately.

"Why? He's too old to do everything all by himself" Kurt reasoned. "Besides, I-I spend the whole day alone in my room, it's really boring. I would like to do something to make myself useful."

Blaine watched him in silence, a smile spreading out on his face.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" he asked.

"What? No, I..."

Blaine jumped up from his seat and rushed to Kurt. He grabbed the boy by his neck and pushed him to the wall.

"I know what you're planning" he hissed into Kurt's ear, squeezing his neck. "There's no way out of here, Kurt. You could only leave if I let you, but I won't."

"That's not what I..."

Kurt was silenced by Blaine slamming his head to the wall.

"You want me to believe that you only want to help him because you feel sorry for him?" Blaine smiled.

"Why is it so hard to believe? Not everybody is like you" Kurt spat angrily.

"No, people are mostly worse than me. You're naive if you think otherwise" Blaine said and let go of Kurt's neck, smirking as the boy fell to the ground. "You know what? I think you're right in one thing."

Kurt climbed to his feet slowly and stepped away from Blaine. He didn't like that evil smile on his face.

"I let you spend your days alone, it can be really boring" Blaine said as he stepped closer to Kurt, grabbig him again, pulling him to his chest. "If you want to make yourself useful, I should give you a chance, right?"

He laughed and grabbed Kurt's hair, pulling his head back, so he could kiss his neck.

"Starting tomorrow" Blaine whispered, satisfied when Kurt started shaking from his touch.