Together We Are

by Sam Lewis

What would your life be like if there had always been someone out to get you? If everything you knew changed in less than a day? But there was still someone out to get you. This is the story of Blaine's life before and after he met Kurt.

18. Jeff's Story

Well hello again my beautiful readers! I hope you all are great! And had an amazing Christmas and a great New Year! Happy 2013! I still haven't managed to remember to put 13 and not 12 on papers at school...

So this chapter is called "Jeff's Story", because it is simply Jeff's story. Well most of it is. A little way into the chapter Jeff decides that it's time Blaine knows what happened to him so he tells him his story. Some things in the flashback are less detailed than others, simply because Jeff isn't giving him every single tiny detail of the story. And also because I wrote about the same amount of time that Jeff is telling Blaine about, in 17 chapters for Blaine and I had to fit it all into one chapter. So naturally this is by far the longest chapter.

The time frame of his story goes from about a week before Jeff came to Dalton, to the day that Michael died. And just how Jeff tells Blaine not to question anything until he's finished, the same for you guys. Some things don't correspond with the things that Blaine has been told. But no worries. Jeff will address that.

So enjoy your reading. And thank you so much for reading! Please please pretty please shoot me a review or PM of what you think! And any ideas of what you think might happen next :)

(I do NOT own Glee! Though it would be really cool to meet all of them. Cool? No. Supermegafoxyawesome!)

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Together We Are

Chapter 18

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Jeff's Story

---

"Hello?" Blaine asked quietly.

"Hi Blaine," Kurt replied softly.

Blaine smiled at the sound of his voice. He realized that he was laying on a hard, cold, wet floor. He looked around him and sat up. The room was dark. Everything was black around him, and there were no lights, yet he could see everything. He could see the features of his skin. He could see the cracks in the old walls and on the floor. But most importantly, he could see Kurt's beautiful face.

"What are we doing here?" Blaine asked.

Kurt ignored his question and reached out to stroke his face.

Blaine laid his hand on top of Kurt's and pulled it away from his face to place it on his lips.

Kurt smiled and leaned forward to kiss him gently, running his hand through Blaine's hair.

Blaine smiled against Kurt's lips. "I love you Kurt," he whispered.

"I love you too," Kurt whispered back.

Blaine got up on his knees and scooted closer to Kurt. He pushed Kurt down on his back and laid down on top of him.

Kurt moaned as Blaine put all of his weight on him.

Blaine giggled and leaned down to kiss him.

"Blaine," Kurt said. "Coop's here. We don't want to be rude."

Blaine looked up and saw Coop sitting across from them on a black velvet couch. And he realized they were on one too. He immediately got off of Kurt and sat on the couch.

"You two looked like you were having fun," Coop said, smirking.

Kurt laughed. "Of course."

"Jasper and I used to have fun," Coop said, more to himself than to the two boys.

"Wait. What do you mean used to?" Blaine questioned.

Coop looked sad. "You know what happened. Sebastian tortured and killed him. Along with Nick and Jeff."

"What?" Blaine asked. "No. I was just with Jeff yesterday."

"That's not possible," Kurt said.

"Talking about me?" a familiar voice asked.

"Of course not," Coop said, standing up and backing towards Blaine and Kurt.

Sebastian smiled and pulled out his baseball bat. His smile got bigger as he approached Coop. He yanked Coop away and began to beat him violently with the bat.

Blaine screamed and screamed for Sebastian to stop, but he didn't. He tried to scream again, but Douglass placed his hand over his mouth.

Sebastian laughed and then pulled Kurt away from Blaine too.

Blaine struggled against Douglass, but he wasn't strong enough and he watched as Sebastian brutally beat Kurt too.

Then the beaten bodies of Jasper, Nick, Jeff, and all of his friends appeared and Sebastian and Douglass began to laugh hysterically.

"You've lost everything. And it's your own fault!" Sebastian yelled, still laughing.

---

Blaine's eyes shot open and he found himself in the middle of a small dark room again and he began to panic.

"Shhhh, Blaine. It's okay. You're safe," a voice whispered next to him.

Blaine turned his head to see who it was, but a searing pain shot through him when he did.

"Blaine, it's okay, you're okay. The nurse is on her way," Jeff said, reaching out to take Blaine's hand.

"Where am I?" Blaine asked.

"You're in the hospital," Jeff whispered. "But you're safe."

Blaine turned his head slightly and saw Jeff's worried face. He looked him over to make sure that he was really there.

Jeff reached his other hand over and gently wiped a tear away from under his eye. He leaned over and grabbed a blanket from a chair and laid it on Blaine.

"K-Kurt," Blaine stuttered quietly.

"I sent him home to get some sleep. He'll be back in the morning," Jeff answered.

"Hey Jeff. Is everything-" a nurse started to ask as she walked in. "Oh. Hi Blaine. It's nice that you're finally awake."

"Finally?" Blaine asked.

"You've been out for two days," Jeff answered.

"I'll give you some more morphine for the pain and you can go right back to sleep," the nurse said.

"No. No, please. I don't want to sleep," Blaine begged.

"Blaine. You need to rest," Jeff said.

"No. Jeff. I don't want to sleep. I don't want to dream," Blaine whispered, tears coming to his eyes again. He gripped Jeff's hand tightly and stared at him pleadingly.

"Okay," the nurse said softly. "I can give you some different pain meds, but they won't work as well."

"That's okay," Blaine said, turning to her.

The nurse nodded and walked out of the room.

Blaine closed his eyes and relaxed a little.

"How do you feel?" Jeff asked.

"My head hurts," Blaine groaned.

"Well, yeah, I would think so," Jeff answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember anything?" Jeff asked.

Blaine thought back and suddenly remembered slipping in the bathroom. He realized that he must have hit his head on something when he fell. He reached up to his forehead and felt the bandage across it.

"You have seven stitches in your forehead and two on your cheek," Jeff said softly.

Blaine took a deep breath and pulled the blanket up.

"Are you cold?" Jeff asked.

"No."

"You're shaking," Jeff said.

Blaine closed his eyes again.

"Was it the dream?"

Blaine nodded slightly, trying not to cause himself to much pain. "It was a lot worse this time."

"How so?"

"He killed everyone," Blaine said. "All of you." He opened his eyes to look at Jeff.

"Okay," the nurse said, walking in. She walked over to his IV and put a needle with some clear liquid into it. "If you're still in a lot of pain later, let me know and I'll give you some morphine, okay?"

Blaine nodded again.

The nurse smiled at them both and walked out.

Blaine waited until the door closed to turn to Jeff again. "He killed Coop and Kurt right in front of me. And he made sure I saw all of you."

Jeff pulled his chair up and sat down, laying their hands on the bed.

Blaine turned on his side and laid his head down next to Jeff's hand.

Jeff stroked Blaine's good cheek with his thumb gently. "It's okay Blaine. You're okay. We're all okay. He didn't hurt any of us."

Blaine sighed in acknowledgement and relaxed into Jeff's touch.

"You can sleep if you want to. I'll be here the whole time. I promise," Jeff said softly.

Blaine closed his eyes and squeezed Jeff's hand one more time before falling asleep.

---

Blaine's eyes fluttered open again, though the first thing he saw this time were bright lights.

"Hey sleepy head," a man said quietly.

Blaine looked at him and remembered him from somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. He looked over and saw Jeff curled up in a chair asleep beside him.

"I'm Doctor Hodges. I don't know if you remember me. You were pretty shaken up the night we met."

Blaine stared at him for a moment. "You're the doctor that took care of Dan."

Doctor Hodges nodded. "And I'm very sorry."

Blaine nodded and looked away.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than when I woke up last time. My head still hurts though," Blaine answered.

"That's normal. But it's a good sign that you feel better."

Blaine nodded. "How long has he been here?" he asked, pointing at Jeff.

"I don't think he's left since you got here," the doctor answered.

"Two days?"

"Well, three now."

Blaine looked at his friend and sighed.

"This is the first time I've seen him sleep," Doctor Hodges said. "I'll be back in a few hours, and we can talk about when you can go home."

Blaine smiled and nodded. He turned to Jeff when the door closed.

"Jeff?" Blaine asked quietly, touching his hand lightly, which was draped across his bed.

"Mmm?" Jeff moaned.

"Jeff," Blaine repeated.

"Blaine," Jeff said, opening his eyes.

"Hey," Blaine said.

"Hey," Jeff replied. He looked down at his phone and saw that it was five in the afternoon. He also saw the text from Kurt that said he would be there around now.

"Kurt should be here soon," Jeff said.

Blaine smiled. "Good."

"I take it you're feeling better," Jeff noted.

"My head doesn't really, but yeah I feel better."

"Good," Jeff said.

"Thank you," Blaine said softly.

Jeff nodded. "Anytime."

Just then there was a soft knock on the door and Kurt and Nick walked in.

"Hey guys."

"Hey," Jeff said, smiling at Nick.

Blaine smiled at his boyfriend and turned to Jeff. "Go home."

"No. Blaine, I-"

"You are going home. Nick, help me out here," Blaine said.

Nick smiled. "Come on Jeff. Kurt's here. You can come see him tomorrow."

"He might be coming home today and someone has to take him," Jeff said.

"I can take him," Kurt said.

"Jeff. Go home," Blaine repeated.

Jeff sighed in defeat. "Fine." He reached over and hugged Blaine gently and then walked over to Nick.

"Bye guys," Nick said.

"Bye," Blaine said, waving at his two friends.

Kurt walked over to Blaine when Jeff and Nick had gone. He sat down in the chair that Jeff had been sitting in. He reached over and took both of his hands. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone hit me in the head with a hammer," Blaine replied quietly.

Kurt nodded. He brought Blaine's hands to his lips and kissed them softly.

Blaine smiled and gestured for him to come closer.

Kurt stood up and stroked his cheek with his thumb.

Blaine laid his hand on Kurt's cheek and pulled him closer so their lips were almost touching.

Kurt closed the distance and kissed him gently.

The machine that had Blaine's heart rate on it started going faster and Kurt pulled back.

"Sorry," Kurt whispered, laughing a little.

Doctor Hodges came running in his room. "Are you okay?" he asked. But when he saw the way Kurt was standing he changed his stance and smiled. "Oh. Hi. I'm Doctor Hodges."

Kurt shook his hand and smiled. "Kurt Hummel."

Doctor Hodges turned to Blaine. "I guess I was assuming I would find that other boy in here with you."

Blaine looked away as Kurt turned to look at him.

"So Blaine. If you make it through the night okay, you can go home tomorrow," Doctor Hodges said happily.

Blaine nodded and smiled at the doctor as he left.

Kurt sat down in the chair, still holding one of Blaine's hands. "What did he mean other boy? I assume he wasn't talking about Jeff by the way he said it."

Blaine was still looking away. "He was talking about Blue."

Kurt was confused. Blaine hadn't seen Blue in a while. How would that doctor know about him.

"Doctor Hodges was Dan's doctor when he was here. Blue and I came to see Dan everyday until he left," Blaine said quietly.

Kurt nodded and squeezed Blaine's hand. "Get some sleep."

Blaine looked back at Kurt. He turned on his side and curled up as close to Kurt as he could.

Kurt slid his chair closer to him and stroked his hair.

Blaine closed his eyes and fell asleep to Kurt's touch.

---

"Hey guys," Jeff said, running to Blaine to help him out of Kurt's car.

"Hey Jeff," Blaine said dully.

"Jeff," Kurt said. "Would you mind taking him inside, I have some things I need to go do."

"Yeah, sure," Jeff said, happy to oblige.

"I'll be back in a little while Blaine," Kurt said.

"Okay. Don't take too long," Blaine said, smiling.

Kurt smiled back. "I won't."

Jeff held out his hand to Blaine.

"No. I can get out of the car," Blaine said. He pulled himself up and almost fell over, but Jeff caught him.

"You sure?" Jeff asked softly.

"Take care of him," Kurt mouthed.

Jeff nodded and helped Blaine to the sidewalk.

Blaine reluctantly leaned on Jeff all the way up to Simul.

"It's okay to need help Blaine," Jeff said.

Blaine nodded slightly. "You guys have had to do this too much."

"No. Don't worry about it," Jeff said. "I took care of my little brother for eight years by myself. It's nice to feel like I'm helping someone again."

Blaine smiled at his friend. He remembered what Kimmy had said. That Jeff had been through more than he knew. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to know.

"Hey Blaine," Nick said as they walked into Simul. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better than when I woke up yesterday," Blaine said.

"He's pretty drugged up," Jeff said, shifting a little from having Blaine's full weight on him. "I'm gonna take him upstairs to lay down. I'll be back down in a minute."

"Okay. Go get some rest Blaine," Nick said.

Blaine nodded and smiled at Nick.

"Let's go Blaine," Jeff said softly.

They walked up the stairs slowly and up into Blaine's room.

"You gonna be okay?" Jeff asked as Blaine laid down on his bed.

"Yeah. Kurt should be here soon," Blaine answered.

"Okay. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Blaine nodded. "Can you send Kurt up when he gets here?"

"Of course," Jeff said.

"Thanks."

"No problem. I'll see you later," Jeff said, walking to the door.

"Kay," Blaine said, closing his eyes.

Jeff smiled and turned off the light, closing the door behind him.

"Is he okay? Really," Nick asked as Jeff walked down the stairs.

"He's still pretty shaken up about everything. But other than that, he's fine," Jeff answered.

Nick nodded and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

Jeff closed his eyes and sighed.

"Just relax Jeff. It's gonna be okay," Nick whispered.

"What if it happens to him?" Jeff asked quietly.

Nick pulled back. "What if what happens?"

Jeff looked away. "You know. What happened to me. The nightmares. How scared I was."

"Jeff. You had no one. No one. He has you. Me. Kurt. We won't let that happen," Nick said, reaching out to take Jeff's hand.

Jeff closed his eyes and nodded. "Well I had Michael."

"I know. But he was more focused on Sebastian."

"That's true," Jeff said, tears coming to his eyes.

"Hey. Don't cry," Nick whispered, wiping a tear from his cheek with his thumb. "You know. You should tell him."

"Tell him?" Jeff asked.

"What happened," Nick said

Jeff wrapped his arms around Nick again and held onto him tightly.

"Shh, it's okay Jeff," Nick whispered, feeling him start to cry. "It was just an idea."

Both boys jumped as the door opened behind them.

"Hey guys is everything alright?" Kurt asked, walking over to them.

Jeff wiped the tears away and turned to face Kurt. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"You sure?"

Jeff nodded. "Yeah. But, Blaine's upstairs. He's waiting for you."

"Okay. I'll see you guys later," Kurt said, watching Jeff carefully.

Nick and Jeff both nodded and watched Kurt walk up the stairs.

Jeff leaned back onto Nick and started crying again.

---

"Blaine?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Hey," Blaine said, sitting up a little.

"No. Don't sit up. It's okay." Kurt walked over to him and laid down beside him.

Blaine curled up beside him and held him close.

"You feel any better?" Kurt asked.

"I do now," Blaine said.

Kurt smiled and kissed his forehead. "Get some sleep sweetheart."

Blaine closed his eyes and curled farther into Kurt.

---

"Ow," Blaine said dramatically.

"Sorry. Did that really hurt?" Mr. Mike asked.

"No," Blaine said laughing.

"Good. Because that was just the tape."

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"I'm here if you need me," Kurt said, squeezing Blaine's hand.

Blaine smiled at him. He had been knocked over the head with a rock, beaten with a baseball bat, punched in the face, his chest and back had been sliced open, and he had split his head open on a counter. Why would taking stitches out hurt?

Mr. Mike pulled on the first stitch and Blaine jumped.

"Okay, that actually hurt," Blaine said quietly.

"Squeeze his hand every time it hurts," Mr. Mike said.

Blaine nodded and held onto Kurt's hand. He squeezed it every time Mr. Mike cut out another stitch.

"Okay, all done," Mr. Mike said cheerfully.

"Thanks," Blaine said.

"You may want to keep a bandage on it still, but it looks fine. It healed up nicely," Mr. Mike said.

Blaine nodded and slid off the table.

"I'd still take pain meds if I were you though."

Blaine laughed. "Yeah. I plan on it."

Mr. Mike laughed too. "See you boys later."

"So are you gonna go to class tomorrow?" Kurt asked as they walked out of the infirmary and into the snow.

"Well, I've already missed a whole week and tomorrow is Monday, so yeah, probably," Blaine replied.

"Good. I miss having you in class," Kurt said sadly.

"Then I'll definitely be there," Blaine said.

Kurt smiled. "Yay!"

Blaine laughed. He looked up just as Santana came running at them.

"Santana, what are you doing here?" Blaine asked.

Santana threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I had to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine Santana," Blaine said breathlessly because of her tight grip on him.

"Rachel said you were in the hospital."

"I've been out of the hospital since Thursday."

"Why were you talking to Rachel on a Sunday?" Kurt asked.

Santana pulled away from Blaine and turned to Kurt. "She called me and asked for a favor."

"A favor?" Kurt questioned.

"Yeah. She needs help with Finn," Santana answered.

Kurt nodded.

"So you're okay? Oh my gosh," Santana whispered, looking at his forehead.

"I'm fine," Blaine repeated.

"That does not look like fine," Santana said. "You should get out of this cold."

"I was trying," Blaine said, glaring at her playfully.

"Ha ha," Santana said. "Come on," she said, intertwining her arm with Blaine's.

"Well you obviously had to make an appearance. It's only been like a week since we've seen you," Jeff said, laughing as Santana walked in.

Santana smiled and hugged him. "Jerk," she said, laughing.

Jeff laughed too and nudged her lightly. He looked up at Blaine and frowned. "You look really pale Blaine," Jeff said.

Blaine nodded.

"You should go upstairs and lay down before you pass out," Jeff said quietly.

"Yeah," Blaine replied almost inaudibly.

Jeff looked at him sadly and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder.

Blaine latched on to Kurt and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Come on sweetie," Kurt whispered, squeezing his hand gently.

Blaine followed Kurt up the stairs slowly.

"Jesus," Santana said, more to herself than the others.

"Yeah," Jeff replied just as quietly.

"Well I should get going before my aunt gets worried," Santana said.

"Okay. It was good to see you again," Nick said.

"Yeah. You too."

"Thanks for coming to see him. I think it did him some good," Jeff said, reaching out to hug her.

"Anytime. See you guys later."

Jeff turned to Nick as soon as she left.

"What is it?" Nick asked, seeing the look on his face.

"Should I tell him?"

Nick took both of Jeff's hands. "Honestly. You should. But wait until you think it's the right time."

Jeff nodded.

"It might do him some good."

"I know," Jeff whispered. "But I'm scared of what he might think of me."

---

"Blaine? Blaine, wake," Jeff said quietly.

Blaine lifted his head up and jumped slightly at the sight of the empty classroom. He looked and saw Jeff crouched down beside him with a concerned look on his face.

"Mrs. Reynolds called Kimmy and told her you fell asleep in class and she wasn't sure if she should wake you up. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," Blaine said hoarsely.

Jeff looked at him as if he didn't believe him. "Where's Kurt? Kimmy said she couldn't get ahold of him."

"Um, he went home. His dad is sick and Carroll and Finn are out of town."

Jeff nodded. He watched Blaine carefully for a few more seconds and then stood up and held his hand out to Blaine.

Blaine stared up at him as if he were crazy.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

Blaine grabbed his bag reluctantly and took Jeff's hand, letting him pull him up.

They walked out of the school building and into one of the walkways. They walked past the other school buildings, the music hall, and the old, abandoned school buildings.

"Jeff, where are we going?" Blaine asked.

Jeff ignored him and kept pulling him along.

Gradually, the iced over grass and dirt they were walking on turned into elegant white and gray stones. Some were rather faded and looked old. It was like walking through a fairy tale forest, the way the trees hung over the path and were aligned together. The trees broke open into a small courtyard. There was a broken fountain in the center and some raggedy looking benches on the sides. Everything was covered in snow, which made it all look even prettier.

"What is this?" Blaine asked.

"This," Jeff said, "is where Nick and I first met. Well officially met."

Blaine smiled to himself.

Jeff walked over to a piece of wood and brushed the snow off of it. He gestured for Blaine to sit, and he sat down next to him.

Blaine sat quietly for a moment, but then looked up at Jeff. "So, this is really sweet and all, but what are we really doing here?"

Jeff took a shaky breath and looked down at the ground, playing with some snow. "Do you remember the day that I found you in the locker room punching that punching bag?"

Blaine nodded.

"Do you remember what we talked about? What I told you?"

Blaine thought back. "I remember you saying that you understood how I was feeling and then you told me how you ended up here at Dalton."

Jeff nodded. "Do you remember when I said that my parents gave me the option of going to a rehab facility or coming here?"

Blaine nodded again.

"Well, when they first found out, they took me to one. I was there for three months. It was the worst three months of my life, and I didn't end up there quite how I thought I did." Jeff paused. "Will you do something for me?"

"Of course," Blaine said, becoming concerned by the way he was acting.

"Nick is the only person that I've ever told any of this to and he's the reason I'm telling you now. Please don't ask questions or anything until I'm done," Jeff said quietly.

"Okay," Blaine replied, nodding.

"And just be aware that a lot of things I'm sure you've probably heard, aren't true."

Blaine nodded again.

"Like I said, I was in that rehab center for three months. I would've been there longer, I might still be there now, if it weren't for Michael. Well, I probably wouldn't be alive right now. But I was in one of my treatments when he found me. I was strapped to a table, naked, with IV needles stuck into me everywhere. I still don't know what they were supposed to be doing. But it was all worth it in the end..."

---

Jeff laid there in pain. He was cold, exposed, and alone. If he could've sat up to see them all, he probably would have counted at least twenty needles in him. They were everywhere, in his arms, his chest, his stomach, his legs. And they hurt. The restraints on him were too tight and were digging into his skin. He could see the blood coming out from underneath the one on his chest.

"Hey. Are you okay?" a soft voice asked.

Jeff didn't say anything, for fear it was a trap, since he had been told not to talk.

"It's okay. You can talk to me. I know they told you not to, but it's okay. I won't tell anyone," the voice whispered.

"Where are you?" Jeff asked quietly.

After a short pause, a tall, skinny boy appeared next to him. He had light brown hair, styled just right. And he had beautiful milk chocolate colored eyes. He was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans that fit him just right and a blue and red hoodie that said 'Dalton Academy Simul'.

The boy gently pushed Jeff's bangs out of his eyes and ran his thumb across his cheek.

Jeff shivered at his touch and looked away.

"It's okay. You don't need to be scared. That's what they want from you. My name is Michael and you can trust me," he said comfortingly.

Jeff hesitated, but eventually turned his head and looked at him. "I'm Jeff."

Michael smiled. "Jeff," he repeated. "I like it."

Jeff smiled slightly. "What if you get caught?"

"I won't. They were planning on leaving you in here for two more hours," Michael said. He walked to the side of the table and began carefully pulling on a needle.

Jeff flinched when he touched the first one.

"I know it hurts. But trust me, you'll feel better when they're gone."

Jeff took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

When Michael had gotten all the needles out, he went to remove the restraints.

Jeff almost screamed when he touched the one on his chest.

Michael reached down and took Jeff's hand. He squeezed it and then yanked the restraint off.

Jeff whimpered quietly but just held on to Michael's hand as he ripped off the other two.

Michael gently took the one off of his neck and then reached down to grab a blanket. He laid the blanket across him gently and Jeff held it close, shaking. He then searched through the room until he found some bandages.

"This might hurt, but trust me, you don't want to put a shirt on over that," Michael said, pointing to the wound the strap left.

Jeff nodded and closed his eyes again.

Michael gently began rubbing cream onto Jeff's chest. He then wrapped gauze carefully around it and taped it. He did the same on his stomach and legs. He walked over and grabbed his clothes and handed them to Jeff. "I think these belong to you."

Jeff nodded and took them from him.

"I can turn around if you want," Michael said softly.

"No. It's okay," Jeff replied.

Michael held onto Jeff as he got dressed since he had very little strength left.

"Do you think you can make it out of here?" Michael asked.

Jeff nodded hesitantly.

"It's okay. I'll help you. I'll be with you the whole time. I promise." Michael reached down and took his hand.

Jeff followed his new friend slowly. He wasn't able to move as quickly as Michael, but he managed.

They walked out of the room and into a long hallway.

"When we see someone, I have to let go," Michael whispered, gesturing to their hands.

Jeff nodded and kept following him.

They made it to the first floor without being seen. Instead of walking down the hall that led to the exit, they walked into a hallway that led to all of the staff break rooms. They walked into one of them and found a tall man standing in front of a door that said 'EXIT'.

"Thank you so much Mr. Mike," Michael said quietly.

The man named Mr. Mike nodded at both boys.

"I'll see you at school," Michael said.

Mr. Mike nodded again.

They walked out of the door and into a parking lot.

Jeff hadn't seen the sun in three months and was immediately blinded by it, but he held onto Michael as they walked across the parking lot.

"Get in," Michael said, holding the passenger door open.

Jeff did as he was told and found himself in a truck with everything colored light blue.

Michael ran to the drivers side and got in. He started the truck and drove off quickly. Once they were out of the parking lot, Michael looked over at Jeff and saw the terrified look on his face.

"Hey. It's okay, you're safe now," Michael said, reaching out to hold his hand again.

"No. They're going to find out and call my parents and send the army after me," Jeff said quietly, tears filling his eyes.

"I have this all figured out Jeff. Everything will be okay. I promise. You just have to trust me."

Jeff didn't say anything, he just looked out of his window and stared at all the different cars.

They turned onto a road with lots of magnificent gates with long driveways on either side. After driving on this road for a few minutes, they turned into a driveway with one of the gates.

"Hey Rob, it's me," Michael said into a microphone.

"Hey bro. Who's that with you?"

"He's a friend," Michael replied.

Jeff heard laughing through the speaker as the gate opened in front of them. "Is this your house?" Jeff asked as they drove past an enormous mansion.

"Yep," Michael said. "But we're not going there yet."

Jeff looked out of his window again, but Michael stopped abruptly when they were past the house.

Michael got out of the car and ran to Jeff's side. He opened the door and helped him out of the car. He took his hand again and they walked slowly towards a path through the woods.

They walked on the path until it broke into a meadow full of grass and flowers.

Michael walked towards the middle of it and helped Jeff sit down.

"This is so pretty," Jeff said, running his hands through the grass.

Michael smiled. "Yeah. It is."

They sat quietly for a long moment before Jeff turned to Michael.

"Can I ask you something?" Jeff asked.

Michael smiled again. He had been waiting for this and he figured what the question would be. "Of course."

"Why?" Jeff asked simply.

"I have this friend named Blue. And he knew one of your friends. I think his name was Seth," Michael said.

Jeff looked away and closed his eyes.

Michael scooted closer to him and laid a hand on his knee. "Hey," he whispered. "Look at me. Please?"

Jeff hesitated, but slowly turned to face him again.

"I know that he was shot at your school. I know how you feel. I know that it hurts-"

"Do you? Do you know what it feels like to watch your boyfriend, your best friend, die? To hold him while he bleeds to death. To listen to him say I love you, and then die. Do you know what that feels like?" Jeff questioned, getting angry.

Michael stared into Jeff's eyes. "No. I know what it's like to lose someone that close though."

Jeff started crying and laid his head down on Michael's shoulder.

Michael wrapped his arm around him carefully and held him close.

"Blue was friends with him. And Seth, he knew that your parents were going to send you there. He told Blue that. And he wanted to make sure that Blue would get you out of there. So we did a little research and we found you. And we planned what we were going to do. We had Mr. Mike, our school doctor, waiting for us, making sure that we could get you out safely. We made sure that all your doctors and nurses were on break when I came in. And I got you out safely. Just like he wanted."

Jeff lifted his head up and stared into Michael's eyes.

Michael wiped away some of the tears from Jeff's cheek and then kissed his forehead. He laid his hand on Jeff's cheek and leaned in slowly.

Jeff watched him and followed his lead, leaning in too.

Michael closed the distance and kissed him gently. He could feel Jeff's tears hitting their lips and after a few seconds, he pulled back.

When Michael pulled back, Jeff buried his face in Michael's shoulder.

"It's okay," Michael whispered. "Should I not have done that?"

Jeff smiled to himself. "No. It's okay."

Michael rubbed his back gently.

"Can I ask you something else?" Jeff asked, sitting up.

"Shoot."

"What did you mean when you said you had all this figured out?"

"Well, I go to Dalton Academy a couple hours from Lima and I think if we go back to your house, they might give you that option."

Jeff looked at him confused. "Why would they do that?"

"Just trust me," Michael said.

"Why do you expect me to just trust you when you say that?" Jeff asked. "Honestly."

Michael leaned forward and kissed Jeff on his forehead. "You need someone to trust. I want to be someone you can trust."

Jeff nodded.

After a few minutes, Michael looked at Jeff. "I want to show you something."

Jeff smiled. "Okay."

They walked back through the trail and towards the house. They walked up the white marble staircase and through the glass doors.

"Whoa," Jeff said, looking up at the round, glass ceiling.

There was another white marble staircase against one wall. The entrance way turned into a long corridor. And as Jeff looked up, he saw four balconies on different floors.

Michael smiled at the look on Jeff's face. "You like it?"

"Like it? This is incredible."

Michael laughed. "Come on."

He took Jeff's hand and pulled him towards the stairs. They stopped on the top floor.

"This floor is basically mine. Carmen has most of the third floor. My dad has the second and the first is the ballroom, kitchen, and our 'family area'."

"Who's Carmen?" Jeff asked.

"She's my little sister. She's twelve," Michael answered. "She can be really annoying but she's pretty cool to have around sometimes."

Jeff smiled.

"Come here," Michael said, taking his hand again and pulling him into a different hallway. They stopped in front of a brown wooden door. "Okay. Close your eyes."

Jeff smiled and closed his eyes.

Michael opened the door and pushed Jeff inside. He closed the door behind them and stood in front of Jeff. He leaned down slowly and kissed him softly. "Open your eyes," he whispered against Jeff's lips.

Jeff opened his eyes which immediately locked onto Michael's.

Michael backed away from him so he would look at the room.

"Oh my gosh. There have to be at least a hundred in here," Jeff said, flabbergasted.

Michael laughed. "A hundred and twelve actually."

Jeff's eyes got wide when he saw his favorite.

"I heard you play bass. So even though you're standing in a room with some of the most expensive guitars in the world, I figured you would like that one," Michael said. "You can hold it if you want."

"Are you kidding me?" Jeff asked.

Michael shook his head. "Go ahead."

"Are you sure?"

Michael walked to him. "You know how I said I wanted you to trust me? I want to trust you too."

Jeff nodded and picked up the guitar. "Can I play it."

"Go for it," Michael said.

Jeff put the strap around his neck and started playing the bass lines of an oldies song.

"Michael?" a voice asked from the hallway.

"I'm in here," Michael answered.

A few seconds later, a small girl walked in. She had light brown hair with curls like a princess. She was tan and her nails were manicured. And her eyes were just like Michael's.

"Who is this?" she asked nervously.

"It's okay Carmen. This is my friend Jeff," Michael said, gesturing to him. "Jeff, this is my little sister Carmen."

Jeff smiled at her. "Hi Carmen."

"Hi," she said, still looking nervous.

"Do you need something kiddo?" Michael asked.

"Well, I heard you up here and I wanted to know if you wanted to see my new dance before I go to class. Just so you can tell me if it's okay," Carmen answered softly.

Michael smiled. "I'm sure it's perfect. But I'd love to see it."

A huge smile crossed Carmen's face and her eyes lit up.

Michael turned to Jeff. "Come on."

Jeff followed behind Michael down to the third floor. They walked into what looked like a dance studio. They sat down on a bench and watched as Carmen walked over to her sound system.

Piano music started playing, and Carmen danced her way across the floor as if she had been doing it for a thousand years.

"That was perfect Carmen," Michael said when she was finished. He walked up to her and gave her a high five and hugged her.

"You really think so?" Carmen asked.

"Yes. What did you think Jeff?"

"I thought it was beautiful and flawless," Jeff said, smiling at her.

Carmen smiled and looked away.

"You need a ride to class?" Michael asked. "We have some things to do anyway."

"Sure," Carmen said.

"Let's go then," Michael said, letting Carmen lead the way out.

"What is it that we have to do?" Jeff asked quietly as they walked down the stairs.

"We have to go see your parents," Michael replied cautiously.

"Oh," Jeff said almost inaudibly.

Michael took Jeff's hand and squeezed it.

"Hop in the back Carmen," Michael said as they walked to the car. He held Jeff's door open for him and closed it behind him.

Jeff stared out of the window, never looking over at Michael.

Michael reached over and grabbed Jeff's hand. "We'll do this together," Michael said softly.

Jeff looked over at him and nodded.

They pulled up into the parking lot of the Lima dance studio a few minutes later.

"Have fun Carmen. I'll be back in two hours, right?" Michael asked.

"No. Jessie's going to take me home after class. We're going to get ice cream tonight. Thanks though," Carmen said.

"No problem. See ya tonight," Michael called after her. "Put your address in this and then we'll go," he said, handing him the portable GPS.

Ten minutes later they pulled into Jeff's driveway.

"Just breath and relax Jeff," Michael whispered.

Jeff nodded and they both got out of the car.

Michael tried to take Jeff's hand, but he pushed him away.

"Don't. Not here," Jeff said quietly.

Michael nodded and just rubbed his back as they walked.

Jeff took another deep breath and opened the front door.

They walked into the entrance room and heard his parents talking around the corner. Jeff held his hand up for Michael to stay behind the wall.

Jeff walked around the corner and his dad immediately stood up and glared at him.

"Just what do you think you're doing here? You were better off with whatever boy it was that picked you up!" his dad shouted.

"You don't get it. You can't 'fix' me. I'm not a broken toy. I'm a human being. I didn't chose to be this way. I just am!" Jeff shouted back.

"Honey," his dad said, turning to his mom. "Call the Center and tell them to come pick him up."

"If you send me back there, I'll just find another way to get out," Jeff said.

If a human could spontaneously combust from anger, his dad would be close to it.

He walked toward his son and slapped him in the face.

"Jason!" his mom screamed.

He hit Jeff again and again until he fell to the floor.

"Daddy. What are you doing to Jeff?" a little boy asked, walking down the stairs.

"John. Go back upstairs," Jason demanded, backing away from Jeff and his other son.

"Jeff," John said, running to his brother.

Jeff sat up and got on his knees so he was eye level with his brother. "John, I want you to listen to me very carefully. I want you to know that I love you. You mean the world to me. But I have to leave. And I'm not coming back. I don't want you to blame yourself. This was my decision, okay? Just know that I love you."

John reached out and hugged his brother. "I love you too Jeff."

Jeff pulled away and wiped the tears from John's eyes. "Now, go back upstairs. Okay?"

John nodded and hugged Jeff one last time before running back to the stairs.

Jason watched his son as he got off the floor. "I wasn't going to help you, but as long as it keeps you out of our lives. There's a school a couple hours from here. It's called Dalton Academy. You can go there or you can go back to the Center."

Jeff stared at his father in disbelief. Michael had been right.

"That's what I thought," Jason said. "I'll have your mother call there in the morning and send them your transcripts. You'll start there when spring break is over and we'll have all of your things sent there. Now get out of my house. And if you ever show your face here again, I swear to god I'll kill you."

Jeff looked at his mother for a brief moment and saw the look of guilt on her face. He then turned and walked back into the entry way and started running as soon as he was out of their sight.

Michael took off after him and quickly got into his truck and drove off.

Once they were about a mile away, Michael pulled off the road and turned his car off.

"Come here," Michael whispered, sliding into the middle seat and wrapping his arms around Jeff.

Jeff buried himself into Michael and started sobbing.

"Shhh, it's okay. You're okay," Michael kept repeating to him.

"Can we get out of here?" Jeff asked through the sobs.

Michael nodded and gasped as he pulled Jeff up. "Oh my gosh. Your lip." He wiped the blood away gently, but saw he had more gashes that were the same.

Jeff shook his hand off. "Please?" he begged.

Michael nodded and pulled Jeff into the middle seat so he could drive.

"Hey Rob. It's me again," Michael said into the microphone when he pulled into the driveway.

"Hey bro, everything okay?" Rob asked.

"Yeah. Fine," Michael said quietly.

The gate opened, and they drove up to the house.

Michael helped Jeff out of the truck and up the stairs to the house.

"Stacey," Michael called as they walked into the house.

"Be there in a second hun!" she called back.

"I'll be in the kitchen!" Michael yelled.

Michael led Jeff into the kitchen and sat him down on a barstool. He walked to the sink and picked up a cloth, wetting it, and held it to the side of Jeff's face where he was bleeding the worst.

"What do you need Michael?" She stopped when her eyes landed on Jeff. She was tall and skinny. She had blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and blue eyes that sparkled in the light. She was also wearing a yoga outfit and had a towel in her hand. "This must be Jeff."

Michael nodded. "I need the first aid kit."

She walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a plastic box and opened it, handing it to Michael.

"I'm Stacey," she said to Jeff.

Jeff nodded and tried to smile at her.

"Can you take your shirt off?" Michael asked Jeff softly.

Jeff stood up and tried to take his shirt off.

Michael helped him get it over his head and laid it on the counter. He began unwrapping the gauze from his chest and stomach slowly.

"Oh my gosh," Stacey gasped quietly when she saw the gashes. "Those need to be cleaned out."

"How do I do that?" Michael asked.

"He should take a bath," Stacey answered.

Michael nodded. He picked up the first aid kit and Jeff's shirt and then helped him up.

"If you need any help, come get me, okay?" Stacey asked. "Your dad should be home in about an hour."

"Okay, thanks Stace."

"No problem hun," she said, walking back towards the stairs.

Michael turned back to Jeff. "Let's go upstairs and get you fixed up."

Jeff let Michael help him up the stairs. And down a long hallway to a set of white double doors. Michael opened the door and they stepped into his bedroom. There was a king size bed in one corner, a walk in closet, and shelves everywhere. His walls were covered in Dalton Academy Warbler posters, and pictures of singers and actors, most of which were autographed. There were also records and CDs on the walls. There was a desk with a stack of school books and bookshelves lined with regular books. One corner had a grand piano with stacks of sheet music, and a Yamaha acoustic guitar with a leather strap.

Michael quickly passed all of this and through another set of double doors, into his bathroom. He walked to the tub and started filling it with water.

"I'm going to go change, I'll be back in a minute," Michael said, walking back into his room.

He came back about a minute later in a T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants.

"I can go, if you'd rather do this alone," Michael offered, seeing how uncomfortable he looked.

"No," Jeff said quickly. "Please don't leave me alone."

"Okay. I won't. I'll stay as long as you need me," Michael said soothingly.

Jeff got undressed and got into the tub. He sat down and had to bite his lip when the water hit his stomach.

Michael was immediately by his side. "Are you okay?"

Jeff nodded stiffly.

Michael kneeled down by the sink to open a cabinet and he pulled out a washcloth and a towel. He walked back over to the tub and sat down on the side of it.

"Is it okay if I do this?" Michael asked.

Jeff nodded, still biting his lip from the pain.

"Lean back on the tub," Michael said.

Jeff did as he was told and leaned back.

Michael dipped the washcloth in the water, and gently squeezed water onto his chest.

Jeff whimpered quietly, gripping the side of the tub.

Michael looked at him sadly. But he kept doing it until they were cleaned out.

"I'm done," Michael said quietly.

Jeff's eyes were closed and he was still breathing hard, but he started to calm down when Michael said this.

Michael took the washcloth and gently wiped the dried blood from Jeff's lip and cheek.

Jeff opened his eyes when he moved the washcloth away and set it behind him on the counter.

When Michael turned around, he found Jeff staring at him. "What?"

Jeff smiled and looked away. "Nothing."

Michael smiled back and looked into Jeff's blue eyes. "You have really beautiful eyes," Michael said softly.

Jeff looked up at him again. "You do too."

Michael looked down. "Um, I'm gonna go see if I can find you some sweats to wear. There's some soap right there and here's the towel. I'll be back in a few," Michael said.

Jeff nodded. "Okay."

Michael walked out, leaving the door open a crack. "Oh, hey dad," he said, jumping slightly at the sight of him.

"Hey. Is he in there?" his dad asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to find him some clothes."

"How is he?"

"He's pretty shaken up and he's in quite a bit of pain," Michael answered.

His dad nodded. "Let me know if I can do anything for you or him."

"I will. Thanks."

"No problem," his dad said, turning and walking out.

Michael walked to his closet and found a pair of sweats that would fit Jeff. He walked back in the bathroom and found Jeff sitting on a chair wrapped in a towel.

"Here. These should fit you," Michael said, handing him the clothes.

"Thanks," Jeff said quietly, standing up and putting them on. "I don't want to wear the shirt though.

Michael nodded. "I figured. Sit down here so I can put some more gauze on you," he said, pointing to the counter. He put more of the cream on his chest and stomach and this time put gauze pads on before wrapping him in it. He looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were closed. "Are you tired?"

Jeff opened his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. They didn't really let me sleep much."

"Go lay down on my bed. I'll be there in a sec," Michael said.

Jeff slid off the counter and started walking towards Michael's bed.

Michael opened one of his cabinets and pulled out a bottle of pain killers. He walked back to his room and pulled out a bottle of water from his mini fridge. "Take these. They'll help with the pain."

Jeff took the pills from him and swallowed them.

"How do you feel?" Michael asked.

"I'm okay," Jeff answered.

Michael watched him carefully. "Really?"

Jeff looked away and shook his head slowly.

Michael reached out to lay a hand on Jeff's cheek.

Jeff jumped and turned away.

"God, what did they do to you," Michael whispered. "Jeff. You can trust me. I don't work for them."

Jeff hesitated, but looked up at Michael.

Michael saw the tears start to form in Jeff's eyes. He stood up and pulled Jeff up with him. He wrapped his arms around Jeff's neck and held him close.

Jeff slid his arms around Michael's waist.

"You should lay down," Michael whispered, feeling how tightly Jeff was gripping on to him.

Jeff nodded and slid onto the part of the bed by the wall.

Michael laid down on his side next to him.

"Can I tell you something?" Jeff asked quietly after a few moments.

"Of course," Michael said, brushing some of Jeff's hair out of his eyes.

Jeff hesitated, looking away from Michael. "I'm really scared," Jeff finally said.

Michael pulled Jeff closer to him. "I know," he whispered. "Come here." He pulled Jeff towards him.

Jeff rested his head on Michael's chest and grabbed on to one of his hands.

Michael looked down at him a few minutes later to find his eyes still wide open. "You can sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up. I promise."

Jeff stared up at him with a terrified expression.

"Close your eyes," Michael whispered.

Jeff hesitated, but eventually complied.

"Rest. You need it."

Jeff sighed tiredly and fell asleep soon after.

---

Michael was staring at his dad in disbelief. "They can't just, get away with that, can they?"

"I don't know how they do. But trust me, they won't be for much longer."

"We'll, um, be down in a little while to have breakfast," Michael said, still in a little bit of shock.

His dad nodded. "Okay. I'll see you then."

Michael turned back to Jeff as his dad left. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He couldn't believe that someone would do something like this. Someone he knew. Someone who went to his school. His thoughts were cut short by Jeff's soft voice calling his name.

"Michael?" Jeff asked quietly.

"Hey, I'm right here," Michael said.

Jeff took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Are you hungry?" Michael asked. "I hear Stacey's making some food."

Jeff smiled and nodded eagerly.

Michael laughed and got up, helping Jeff up too. He walked over to his desk and picked up a sweatshirt, handing it to Jeff.

"Thanks."

Michael nodded and smiled at him. "Let's go get some food."

"Michael," Jeff said quietly.

Michael turned around and looked at him questioningly.

Jeff slowly wrapped his arms around him and hugged him.

Michael hugged him back, holding him close, thankful that he got him out of there.

"Thank you for not leaving last night," Jeff whispered.

Michael sighed, closing his eyes. "I won't ever leave."

Jeff pulled back, smiling.

Michael smiled back and reached down to take his hand.

They walked down the stairs and found Carmen coming out of her room.

"Hey sunshine," Michael said. "How did class go yesterday?"

A smile lit Carmen's face. "It was amazing. Ms. Bella loved my dance. So did all the other girls. I think we're going to use it for our recital."

"That's so awesome," Michael said. "I'm happy for you."

They walked down stairs to the smell of pancakes and bacon.

"Good morning kids," Stacey said as they walked into the dining room. "I'm just waiting on the last of the bacon to cook. You can go ahead though."

Michael led Jeff into the kitchen an handed him a plate. "Take whatever you want."

Jeff smiled and started filling his plate with pancakes, hash browns, bacon, and eggs.

They sat down at the table and began eating.

"May I have some more pancakes?" Jeff asked quietly.

"Oh my gosh yes. You can have how ever much you want sweetheart," Stacey answered, smiling at him.

When Jeff returned, Michael looked over at his dad and saw that he wasn't eating. "Dad. Stop so you can eat."

"I will when I'm finished Michael," his dad responded.

"Dad stop doing this here," Michael said, glancing at Jeff.

"Do you not think we should find out about this?" his dad asked quietly.

"Aaron. Please don't start this," Stacey whispered to him.

"I think we should find out about it, but in light of what's happened, I think it can wait," Michael answered, both of them ignoring Stacey.

"Stacey," Aaron said quietly. "Will you take Carmen in the other room?"

Stacey nodded and walked with Carmen into the living room, turning the TV on so they couldn't hear what was being said.

Jeff had stopped eating and was staring at the two of them.

"Jeff," Aaron started.

Michael reached across the table and took Jeff's hand, trying to calm himself down.

"The Center that-"

"No. Stop," Michael said, standing up.

"You have no right to be saying any of this. None at all. So stop," Michael yelled.

Aaron closed his laptop and watched his son carefully. "You said it yourself. He has a right to know."

"But not like this. Not as just a morning breakfast conversation. But that's the only way you communicate right? Other than this morning, we haven't had a real conversation away from this table since mom died!" He turned to Jeff. "Come on. Lets go outside."

Jeff stood up and followed Michael down a hallway and out the back door.

Michael stormed off towards a building behind the house.

"Michael!" Jeff called after him. "Michael, wait up." He started running to catch up to him.

Michael stopped and turned around. "Whoa. You shouldn't be running like that Jeff."

"Michael stop. Don't pretend like everything is okay. Like I'm your biggest worry. What was that all about?"

Michael took Jeff's hand and pulled him towards a path that went around the house.

They walked behind the house and towards a pavilion.

As they got closer, Jeff saw that there was a pool underneath it. He watched as Michael walked up on the concrete and pulled his shirt off. He threw it on to a lounge chair and dove into the pool.

Jeff sat down at the edge of the pool and rolled up his pants, sticking his feet in the water. He pulled off his sweatshirt and put it on the concrete next to him.

A few seconds later, Michael came up from under the water. He folded his arms on the concrete and laid his head on them. "Can I tell you something?"

Jeff nodded, watching him carefully.

Michael sighed. "I used to sit out here with my mom. For hours. We would just talk. Then we'd go inside and make cookies and popcorn and mess around. Then we'd put in a bunch of old movies and we'd usually fall asleep."

Jeff reached down and ran his hand through Michael's hair. "How did she..." He trailed off.

"Um, she started getting sick a lot the end of my sixth grade year. She thought she was pregnant again. But she started losing weight because she couldn't eat anything without throwing it up. At the end of that summer, my dad finally decided to take her to the hospital. After three days of tests they finally figured out that she had stage four stomach cancer. There was nothing they could do for her. They gave her less than two months to live. I went to see her in the hospital every day. That was when she told me that she had known for a long time that I was different. And I told her everything. Every crush I had ever had on a guy. When I knew that I was gay. I told her about my first kiss. Everything." He stopped, tears filling his eyes. "She died two days later. My dad made me go to school the next day. Everyone made fun of me because I was crying. One of my teachers sent me to the nurse and my dad, he wouldn't even come get me because-"

"Stop," Jeff whispered. He grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the water. He pulled Michael closer to him and wrapped his arms around him.

Michael laid his head down on Jeff's shoulder.

Jeff just held him and let him cry.

Michael calmed down a few minutes later and sat up. "I'm sorry. I came out here to tell you what my dad found out and now I'm doing this."

"No, it's okay. That can wait," Jeff said quietly. "Have you ever told anyone that before?"

Michael shook his head.

"I didn't think so," Jeff said. He pulled him closer again and held him there.

"Michael?"

Michael glanced behind him to find his little sister standing at the edge of the concrete, watching them. Michael quickly wiped the tears from his face and stood up, walking over to his sister.

"Is everything okay?" Carmen asked quietly.

"Yeah. Come sit with us," Michael said, reaching down to take her hand.

Carmen sat down beside Michael and he wrapped his arm around her. She turned and looked over at Jeff carefully. "What happened to you?" she asked.

Jeff looked at Michael hesitantly.

Michael turned to Carmen. "He had straps on him and they cut into his skin."

Carmen had a horrified look on her face. "Why?"

"Carmen, do you remember the other day when I told you that some things you don't need to know?" Michael asked.

Carmen nodded. "This is one of those things?"

"This is one of those things," Michael mimicked.

"Dad wants us to come inside," Carmen said, looking down. She had clearly been the messenger for a message she didn't want to give.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Tell him we'll be in there in a minute."

"Okay," Carmen said, standing up. She started to walk away, but she stopped and turned around. "You know, I'm not as clueless as you guys might think." She turned and walked away.

Jeff looked at Michael, confused.

Michael smiled as his little sister walked away. "She's smarter than people give her credit for. Come on. Lets go inside." He stood up and helped Jeff up, handing him his sweatshirt.

"So," Jeff started, but then stopped, not wanting to upset Michael again.

Michael raised his eyebrows.

"Stacey. She's your..."

"Soon to be step mom," Michael answered sadly.

Jeff nodded. He wrapped an arm around Michael's waist as they walked. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I've had some time to get used to the idea of it."

They got to the back door and Michael took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Hi boys," Aaron said, as they walked into the living room and joined Carmen on the couch.

Michael glared at his father before turning back to Jeff.

"Michael," Aaron started. "I'm sorry."

Michael didn't turn to look at his dad, he kept his eyes on Jeff.

Aaron turned to Carmen. "Carmen, please."

"Michael. Listen to him. Please. He's all we have left of mom. You can't just push him away like this," Carmen said.

"Carmen, I love you, and I don't want to get angry. I can push him away. I have every right to. You barely remember her. She was my best friend." Michael stood up and turned to his dad. "I'm sorry. But Stacey can't replace mom. And you can't keep pretending that mom never existed like you are."

Jeff got up and followed Michael up to his room.

"I'm sorry about this," Michael said once they were alone.

"It's okay," Jeff said. "I understand."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've had my fair share of family problems."

Michael nodded. "Let's try to enjoy the rest of this week before you become overwhelmed again."

Jeff smiled in agreement.

---

"You ready to go?" Michael asked.

"As ready as I'm going to be," Jeff answered.

Michael took his hand. "Don't be nervous. They'll all love you. Who wouldn't?"

Jeff smiled and looked away.

Michael stroked Jeff's cheek with his thumb. "Let's hit the road."

"Are you guys leaving?" Carmen asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Yeah. I'll be back in a couple weeks though. I promise," Michael said to her.

Carmen smiled and then turned to Jeff. "What about you?"

"I'll be back with him as long as I'm welcome," Jeff answered.

"You'll always be welcome here sweetheart," Stacey said, walking up the stairs to meet them. "Think of us as your family. And this as your home."

Jeff smiled and threw his arms around her. "Thank you."

Stacey laughed. "Of course." She pulled back from him and turned to Michael. "You guys should probably get going. You don't want to be late to check in."

Michael nodded. "Yeah. Bye girls," he said, hugging Stacey and then reaching down to hug Carmen.

"Bye Michael. I'll see you soon," Carmen called after him.

"See you soon," Michael answered.

It was Sunday, and they were heading back to Dalton so Michael could check in to his dorm and Jeff could check in to school. They had spent the week at Michael's house playing guitars, exploring the woods and the house and watching Carmen dance. Michael still hasn't started talking to his father yet, but he was planning on doing it the next time he came home.

"Welcome to Dalton Academy," Michael said as they turned onto a gated road. The sign in the middle read "Dalton Academy - School for Boys"

There were signs and solo cups covering the fence around them. "Welcome Back", "Congratulations on winning Regionals Warblers!", "Library now hiring", "New Gym Grand Opening - April 23rd", "Art Club Meeting", "Science Bats Fundraiser". Then of course there was the sign that read, "All Students Must Check-in with their Dorm Head by 3 o'clock".

Michael pulled into a spot in front of the administrative office. "Let's get you checked in."

They walked onto a stone path that led up to a beautiful brick building.

"Hello Michael," the receptionist said, smiling at him with flirty eyes.

"Hey Sarah," Michael replied, not flirting back at all.

"Who's your friend?" Sarah asked.

"This is Jeff. He needs to check-in with the Dean."

"Oh right. You're our new transfer," Sarah said, digging through a stack of papers on her desk. She then picked up the phone. "Hi Dean Curtis, there are some students here to see you." She paused. "Okay." She hung up the phone. "He'll be out in a minute boys. You can just take a seat over-"

"Michael," Dean Curtis said, walking out of his office.

"Hi Dean Curtis," Michael said, shaking his hand.

"This must be Jeff," Dean Curtis said. He stuck his hand out towards Jeff. "I'm Dean Curtis. Lets get all your things straightened out." He led them into his office and gestured for them to sit in chairs in front of his desk. He pulled out a file and opened it. "Oh, well it seems everything here is in order." He turned to Michael. "He'll be in Simul obviously."

Michael nodded. "I was hoping so."

"Oh," Dean Curtis said, becoming concerned. "You've missed quite a bit of school and you probably won't be able to finish the required credits. But don't worry. We have a program here where you can make up these credits, since this isn't really an uncommon thing to happen here. You'll have the rest of this year and next year to finish the required credits. And, looking here, there is currently one other student in the program who happens to be in your dorm."

Michael had a confused look on his face. "Oh. Nick?"

Dean Curtis nodded. "Yes. Now, I can't give you your schedule now because you're going to need to see the guidance counselor about it. That can wait till tomorrow though. And I would give you a map, but I'm sure Michael would be happy to show you around," he said smiling at Michael.

Michael nodded. "Yes sir."

"Well in that case, I'll see you boys later. And don't be late to check-in."

"Thank you sir," Jeff said, getting up and following Michael out of his office.

"Bye Michael," Sarah said.

"Bye," Michael said, walking faster towards his car.

Jeff smiled. "What's up with her?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "She's had the biggest crush on me since she first saw me. She can't get it through her head that I'm gay."

Jeff laughed.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" Michael asked playfully.

"Yeah. A little bit."

Michael smiled. They walked out to his car and Michael started pulling out his stuff.

"Do you need help?" Jeff asked, seeing that he was having problems.

"Sure, thanks," Michael said, handing him the handle to his rolling suitcase. "Let's go," he said, closing the door and locking his truck.

Jeff's eyes got wide as they walked through the front gate of the school.

"You like it?" Michael asked.

Jeff nodded. But as they walked up to their dorm building, he started panicking.

"Hey. It's okay," Michael said. "Remember what I said. They'll all love you."

Jeff took a shaky breath as Michael opened the door.

"Michael! You're almost late!" a boy with a clipboard said.

Michael looked at him like he was crazy. "Almost being the key word. It's two thirty Ross."

"So," Ross said. "Oh, and who are you?"

"This is Jeff," Michael said.

"I believe I was talking to him," Ross said.

"Ross," Michael started. "We all know you're getting out of here in a few months, but you don't need to take your anger of having to wait that long out on us. He's scared. So, I don't care that you were talking to him."

Ross glared at Michael. He pulled an envelope off of his clipboard and handed it to Michael. "His keys and stuff."

Michael nodded. "Thank you." He pushed past Ross and towards the stairs.

Jeff looked down as he passed Ross, following Michael to the stairs.

"We're on the fourth floor. Kind of," Michael said.

"What do you mean kind of?"

"Well, the rooms are all two floors, so technically, we're on the second floor of rooms," Michael answered.

"Oh, okay," Jeff said, a little confused.

Michael laughed.

They walked up the stairs and then turned down a hallway, stopping at a purple and blue paint splattered door.

"Are you ready?" Michael asked.

Jeff nodded eagerly.

Michael opened the door and watched Jeff as he walked into the room.

"Whoa, this is huge," Jeff said.

"Yeah. Come upstairs," Michael said, pulling him towards the stairs. He walked to one of the doors and stopped, looking at Jeff. "Welcome home."

Jeff walked in and looked around. He turned to Michael. "This is mine?"

Michael nodded. "Yours." He reached out and wrapped his arms around Jeff's waist, pulling him close.

Jeff hugged him back and then flinched.

Michael pulled away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No. It's okay," Jeff said. "I don't even care right now," he said smiling.

Michael smiled back. "I hate to be a buzzkill, but I need to tell you something."

"Okay," Jeff said cautiously.

"You remember when my dad was 'looking into the Center'?"

Jeff nodded.

Michael reached out and took both of Jeff's hands. "Someone paid your doctors to 'accidentally' kill you."

Jeff stared up at him. "My dad?"

"No. Someone else," Michael said. "He couldn't find out who."

Jeff kept staring at him with a horrified expression on his face.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you. I just thought you should know," Michael said quietly.

Jeff nodded and looked away. "It's okay."

Michael watched him sadly. He finally caught Jeff's gaze and gazed back, trying to keep it.

Jeff gazed back.

Michael moved towards him so their bodies were pressed together. He reached out and caressed Jeff's cheek.

"Thank you," Jeff whispered.

"For what?" Michael asked.

"For saving me. For dealing with me. For everything," Jeff answered.

Michael leaned down and kissed him gently. He moved to his cheek and then down his neck.

"Michael," Jeff whispered nervously.

Michael pulled away. "Sorry. I kinda couldn't help myself."

Jeff smiled. "It's okay."

"I'll, um, let you unpack," Michael said.

Jeff nodded.

"Here," Michael said, handing Jeff the envelope. "It's the keys to the rooms and a note from someone."

Jeff took it from him slowly. "Thanks."

"If you need me, I'm right across the hall," Michael said, leaning down to kiss Jeff's forehead. He walked out, closing the door behind him.

Jeff walked over to the bed and sat down, pulling out the note in the envelope.

"Jeff, I'm sorry about all this. But it is best that you stay away for a while. Stay with a friend over breaks or something. In here is the debit card for your bank account, your phone, and your permit. The car we were going to give you is in the parking lot at your school and the keys are also in here. Don't get into trouble.

Mom"

Jeff shook his head and flopped back on the bed. He was probably never going to see her again, and that was all she had to say.

---

"You ready for your first day of class?" Michael asked.

"Sure. I guess," Jeff said dully.

"See you later Michael," someone called from behind him.

Michael turned around and smiled. "Yeah, see you later Nick." He turned back to Jeff. "He's the other one that's in your program."

Jeff nodded.

"You ready Michael?" someone asked, walking up behind him. "Oh, hello," he said to Jeff.

"Jeff, this is Blue," Michael said.

"Hi," Jeff said, smiling nervously.

"We're going to be late, lets go," Blue said.

Jeff followed them, sticking to Michael's side like he was glued to it.

Michael and Blue walked with Jeff to the guidance counselor's office. "This is it," Michael said.

Jeff stared at the door like it was a poisonous snake.

"Hey, it's okay," Michael said softly to Jeff.

Jeff took a deep breath and opened the door.

"How is he?" Blue asked quietly as they started walking to class.

"He's really scared and quite shaken up, but he's doing a lot better than I thought he would."

"That's good," Blue said.

"Yeah, um, where are you going? Class is that way," Michael said curiously.

"Follow me," Blue said. He pulled him into a deserted hallway and pushed him against a wall.

"Blue, don't. Please," Michael whispered. Blue had been coming onto him for a long time. He had let him kiss him and hug him and every time realized that it had been a mistake. He had no feelings for him. He was a good friend, but that's it.

"Come on. You know you want to," Blue said, closing his eyes and leaning in to kiss him.

Michael didn't close his eyes, but kissed him back. He let it go on for a few seconds and then turned his head. "We have to go to class."

Blue sighed and walked away.

"Blue. I'm sorry," Michael said.

"Sorry for what?" a voice asked from down the hallway.

Michael rolled his eyes. "We don't need your input Sebastian."

"Really? Because I actually think you might have a problem," Sebastian said, looking back and forth between the two boys.

"What do you mean?" Blue asked.

Sebastian laughed. "He doesn't like you like that Blue."

Blue looked away.

"Yeah. That's what I thought," Sebastian said, turning and walking away.

"You bastard," Michael said under his breath. "Blue," he said, walking towards him.

"I have to go to class," Blue said, turning and walking away again.

Michael leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

---

"Okay, right this way Jeff," Ms. Davies said.

Jeff followed the guidance counselor down the hallway and into a classroom.

"Mrs. Jones, this is your new transfer student. He'll be in here completing these courses and next year he'll do these," Ms. Davies said, pointing to a list.

Mrs. Jones took the paper from her and thanked her.

"Goodbye little munchkin," Ms. Davies said, patting Jeff on the head when she walked past him.

When she left Jeff turned to Mrs. Jones with a horrified look.

Mrs. Jones rolled her eyes. "She's crazy."

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, I got that."

"You can sit wherever you'd like. He's the only student in here," Mrs. Jones said, pointing to the boy he remembered as Nick.

Jeff walked to a computer on the other side of the room and sat down.

Around one in the afternoon, Mrs. Jones told them they could leave and Jeff was up and gone before Nick even thought about leaving.

He walked outside, and realized that everyone must still be in class. So he decided to explore a little bit. He followed the sidewalk around the school buildings and then found the old, abandoned ones behind everything. He walked past them until he found another path. There was no sidewalk, but it was pretty and it looked fairly safe. He found himself walking on stones underneath a beautiful canopy of trees. The trees eventually broke into a courtyard. There was an old fountain that was still nice to look at, and some benches. This was the perfect place for him to be alone. He sat down on one of the benches and pulled off his blazer and started to unbutton his shirt to take off the gauze wrapped around him.

A few minutes later, he heard footsteps. He tried to button his shirt back quickly, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone walk into the courtyard. He picked up his stuff and started to walk away quickly.

"No. Wait. It's okay."

Jeff turned around to find Nick standing there.

Nick saw the expression on his face and took a slow step forward. "You don't have to be afraid. I won't hurt you."

Jeff hadn't realized how much safer he had felt with Michael by his side, because he was truly afraid of Nick at that moment.

Nick took another step forward, holding out his hand. "I promise I won't hurt you."

Jeff relaxed a little and walked towards him. He walked back to the bench he had been sitting on and sat down again.

Nick walked to the bench and slowly sat down beside him. "I'm Nick," he said softly.

Jeff looked up at him, but didn't say anything.

Nick looked down at his half buttoned shirt and saw the healing gash on his chest. "Oh my gosh."

Jeff looked down at his chest and tried to re-button his shirt, but he flinched when the cotton hit his skin.

Nick pulled Jeff's hands away from his shirt and he unbuttoned it slowly, watching Jeff as he did. "If it hurts, don't button it. It won't scare me away." He gasped a little when he saw how bad it looked.

Jeff turned away, closing his shirt a little.

"You should go to the infirmary. Have you been?" Nick asked.

Jeff shook his head.

"Do you want me to take you?"

Jeff nodded.

"Okay," Nick said, standing up. He picked up Jeff's bag and then his blazer. "Come on."

Jeff followed him. He didn't stick to his side like he did with Michael, but he didn't stray far from him.

"He's back there," a lady in the waiting room said.

"Thanks Kimmy," Nick said. He held the door open for Jeff and walked in after him. "Mr. Mike?" he called.

"I'll be there in a second," he called from a back room.

Mr. Mike? Jeff thought.

"Hey Nick. What's up?" Mr. Mike asked, walking down a hallway. "Jeff," he said when he saw him. "Do you remember me?"

Jeff nodded, still standing close to Nick.

"Jeff, it's okay. No ones going to hurt you," Mr. Mike said.

Jeff hesitated.

"Should I call Michael?" Mr. Mike asked.

Jeff nodded slowly.

"You can sit on one of the beds there if you want to," Mr. Mike said, walking back into his office.

Jeff walked to one of the beds in the corner and sat down, pulling his knees as close as he could without hurting himself.

Nick walked to the bed slowly and sat down on the other side of it. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

Jeff turned to him and really looked at him for the first time.

Nick looked back at him. He could see the fear in his eyes. "I know how scared you are. I can see it. But please don't think that everybody is out to hurt you. Because I promise you, that I would never ever hurt you. You're safe here. You don't have to be afraid of me."

Jeff kept staring at him. When his hands started shaking, he turned away and laid his head on his knees.

Nick sighed and reached his hand out slowly to touch Jeff's shoulder.

Jeff flinched at first but gently leaned into Nick's hand.

"Jeff?" Michael asked in an almost panicked voice.

Jeff looked up as Michael walked to him and kneeled down in front of him.

Michael's eyes landed on his unbuttoned shirt and the unwrapped gauze.

Jeff had his eyes closed, trying not to cry.

Michael looked at Nick. "Thank you," he whispered.

Nick nodded. "Of course. Do you mind if I stay?"

Michael smiled. "No. I don't mind at all."

Nick smiled back.

Michael turned back to Jeff. "Jeff," he said softly. "I'm here. Please don't be afraid."

Jeff slowly lifted his head to look at Michael.

"Hey," Michael said when he finally looked at him.

"Hi," Jeff replied.

Michael sighed, extremely relieved. He ran his hand through Jeff's hair. "Let's let Mr. Mike fix your bandages and then we can go home. Okay?"

Jeff nodded and got up with Michael's help.

Nick got up and followed behind them slowly.

"Mr. Mike?" Michael asked.

Mr. Mike walked out from his office and smiled at the three boys.

"Can you just rewrap his chest and stomach?" Michael asked.

"Of course. Come on back," Mr. Mike said, turning on the lights in one of the rooms and gesturing for them to follow.

"You should stop staring, you're going to make it obvious."

Nick jumped a foot in the air. He turned around to find Kimmy watching him. "Geez Kimmy, were you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"No. I'm just letting you know."

"Letting me know what?" Nick asked.

"The way you're looking at him. It's obvious," Kimmy answered.

Nick sighed. "I don't like guys Kimmy." He turned away from her and watched as Mr. Mike began wrapping gauze around Jeff's bare chest.

Kimmy watched the look on Nick's face change as he looked at Jeff.

Nick turned to face the wall and closed his eyes.

"All I'm saying is that it's okay if you do like him. No one's judging you," Kimmy said quietly.

Nick turned to look at her. "Even if I did want to be with him, they both clearly like each other," he said, glancing back at Jeff and Michael.

"I'm sure that could change though."

"I don't want it to. I'm with Paige, Kimmy. Besides, Michael's my best friend," Nick stated.

"Thanks Mr. Mike," Michael said as they walked out of the exam room.

"Anytime," Mr. Mike said. "He should go back to the dorm and lay down."

Michael nodded. "I can take him."

"Aren't you still in class?" Kimmy asked Michael.

"Yeah, but it's okay."

"Nick is out of class for the day, he could take him," Kimmy said.

Nick snapped his head around and glared at her.

"Yeah, would that be okay?" Michael asked.

Jeff nodded.

"Great. Lets go then," Michael said. "Bye Mr. Mike. Bye Kimmy," he said as they walked out.

"Bye Kimmy," Nick said through clenched teeth.

Kimmy rolled her eyes. "Bye Nick."

"I'll see you later," Michael said, hugging Jeff.

Jeff pulled back and turned to Nick.

"You ready?" Nick asked.

"Wait. My bag?" Jeff asked.

"Oh, I have it," Nick said, sliding it down his shoulder. "But I'll carry it for you."

Jeff smiled at him. "Thanks."

Nick nodded. He noticed how close Jeff was standing to him and sighed quietly. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

"Do you want to go up to your room or stay down here?" Nick asked when they walked into Simul.

"I just don't want to be alone," Jeff mumbled.

"Well I have some stuff to do up in my room, do you want to come with me?"

Jeff nodded and followed him up the stairs.

"Do you want to put this in your room?" Nick asked, gesturing to his bag and blazer.

Jeff just nodded again and took his bag and blazer from him, walking in and setting it in his room. "I'm gonna change too."

"Okay. I'll wait here," Nick said.

Jeff came out a few minutes later in a pair of grey sweat pants and the dark hoodie that Michael had given to him.

Nick led him into his room. "You can sit there if you want," Nick said, pointing to the bed and walking to his closet.

Jeff sat down against the head board and pulled his knees to his chest again and folded his arms, laying his head down on them.

Nick walked back into the room a few minutes later and sat down on the bed beside him. "Why do you sit like that?" he asked. "Does it make you feel safe."

Jeff lifted his head up and pulled his knees up farther.

"You can talk to me you know. You've said about two sentences to me and we've been together all day."

"I know," Jeff said quietly.

"Do you believe me?" Nick asked.

"About what?"

"That I won't hurt you."

"Oh. Yeah, I do," Jeff whispered.

"Good," Nick said, smiling to himself. "Can I ask you something?"

Jeff nodded.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen," Jeff stated simply.

Nick nodded. "Me too. Can I ask you something else?"

Jeff nodded again.

"Will you answer it honestly?"

"Of course."

"Are you okay?"

Jeff hesitated, looking away. "Not really," he mumbled.

Nick laid his hand on Jeff's. "I'm here if you need someone to listen or just sit with."

Jeff looked up at him.

Nick watched him for a few seconds. "You look really tired."

Jeff nodded. "I am."

"You can lay down and sleep," Nick said softly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Here," Nick said, standing up and pulling a blanket off the floor so he didn't have to unmake the whole bed.

Jeff let go of his knees and slid down the bed. "You're sure you don't mind?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure," Nick said. He laid the blanket on top of Jeff and pulled it up to his shoulders.

Jeff relaxed and closed his eyes.

Nick sighed. "Sweet dreams."

Jeff smiled and fell asleep a few seconds later. And for the first time that he could remember, he slept peacefully.

---

The weeks flew by for Jeff. He walked to class every morning with Michael and Blue and met up with Nick at class and had lunch with him. And Nick had started to bring him out of his shell.

He made a few new friends. Wes, Trent, David, Dan, who were all freshmen too.

Jeff slept in Michael's room when he was having nightmares, but they hadn't kissed since his first night at Dalton.

The week before summer break, things got bad for Jeff again.

"Have you seen Nick?" Jeff asked Michael one morning.

"No, why?"

"He's usually downstairs eating breakfast when I go down there in the morning. But he wasn't this morning."

"That's weird. No, I haven't seen him sweetie," Michael said sympathetically.

Jeff walked into Nick's room and found his bed neatly made as usual, but his closet was empty and so was his desk and bookshelf.

"You alone today?" Mrs. Jones asked when Jeff walked into class.

Jeff nodded sadly. "I don't know where he is." He sat down at his normal computer and started working. Thirty minutes into class he turned to Mrs. Jones. "I'm not feeling too well. Can I go see Mr. Mike?"

"Sure," Mrs. Jones said, writing him a pass.

Jeff walked to the infirmary slowly. He had been going to see Mr. Mike over the past few weeks so he could check on his chest and stomach and so he could talk.

Jeff walked in and found him standing over a boy with a bleeding lip.

Mr. Mike looked up as he walked in. "Jeff I'll be with you in a second- oh my gosh, are you okay?"

Jeff just shook his head.

"You can go wait in my office if you'd like."

Jeff nodded and walked down the hall.

Mr. Mike came in a few minutes later and found Jeff curled up on his couch. He sat down beside him and rubbed his back gently. "What happened?"

"It's Nick. I haven't seen him today and his room is mostly empty," Jeff whispered.

Mr. Mike looked down. "Jeff. Nick's parents were involved in a bad crash last night and he went home."

Jeff looked up at him. "What do you mean by a bad crash."

"His father died on scene and his mother was badly burned when the car caught on fire. The last I heard, she still hasn't woken up."

Jeff stood up and flung the door open, storming out of the room. Past the injured boy sitting on the bed and out the door. He ignored Mr. Mike's calls for him to stop. He started running when he noticed it was raining. He ran towards the clearing where he met Nick. He ripped his blazer off and threw it on the ground when got to the clearing.

"Why me?" he shouted up at the sky. "What did I do that was so horrible to deserve all this? My parents hate me! I can't see my little brother! And now my best friend's family is dead! What did I do?" He then collapsed onto one of the benches and started crying. He was now cold and wet and angry. He cried for so long that he eventually fell asleep.

---

"Jeff?" Michael called, walking into the clearing. "Jeff," he said again when he saw him. He ran over to him and kneeled down beside him. "Jeff, wake up."

Jeff's eyes fluttered open and he jumped back a little.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But what happened? Mr. Mike said you ran out of his office a few hours ago and no one had seen you since."

"It's Nick," Jeff said quietly.

"What about him?" Michael asked, running his hand through Jeff's wet hair.

"His parents were in a crash. His dad is dead and his mom is close to it."

"Oh my gosh," Michael whispered. He looked Jeff over and saw that he was soaking wet and shaking. He pulled Jeff into a sitting position and pulled his wet shirt off. Then he took his own blazer off and wrapped it around Jeff.

"Thanks," Jeff said quietly.

"Come on. Lets get you home," Michael said, helping him up.

When they got back to Simul, Michael took Jeff to his room and told him to lay down.

"Are you okay?" Michael asked softly.

Jeff nodded, closing his eyes.

There was then a knock on the door and Ross stuck his head in.

"What do you need?" Michael asked.

"This is for him," Ross said, handing Michael a box.

"Thanks," Michael said. He watched Ross leave and then handed the box to Jeff.

Jeff opened it and pulled out a set of keys and a letter.

"These are the keys to the beach house in Miami. Your father wants you as far away as possible.

Mom"

Jeff felt the tears come to his eyes as he read his mother's words.

"That's good though, right?" Michael asked, stroking Jeff's cheek.

"I guess," Jeff said. "I always loved that beach house, but it wasn't ours. We rented it."

"Maybe they bought it," Michael suggested.

Jeff nodded. He handed Michael the box and closed his eyes again.

Michael stroked the top of Jeff's head soothingly. "Just sleep."

Jeff relaxed into Michael's hand and fell asleep again.

---

Jeff, Michael, and a few other boys stayed at the beach house in Miami for the summer.

Jeff didn't hear anything from Nick all summer and he was afraid that Nick wouldn't be at Dalton when he got back.

As they boarded the plane to head back to Ohio, Jeff couldn't stop shaking.

"Relax," Michael whispered when they got to their seats.

"I can't. What if he's not there?"

"Then we'll go to him. Okay? It's going to be okay," Michael said, reaching down to hold his hand.

Jeff squeezed his hand and relaxed a little.

"It's okay Jeff."

Jeff just nodded and closed his eyes, preparing himself for the plane ride.

"Jeff," a voice said from behind them as they walked off the plane and into the airport.

Jeff turned around and found Nick standing behind him. "Nick," Jeff said breathlessly, throwing his arms around his neck.

Nick wrapped his arms around his waist tightly and held him there.

"I was so worried. Are you okay?" Jeff asked.

Nick squeezed Jeff closer. "Not really. No. But I heard you weren't either."

Jeff sighed. "I am now."

Nick pulled back. "I'm sure you guys want to get home. Sorry."

Michael shook his head. "You're fine."

Nick nodded and turned back to Jeff. "I'm really sorry Jeff. I didn't mean to make you that upset. I just had to get home then. It couldn't wait."

"I understand," Jeff said. "Are you- are you coming back to Dalton?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I've been there for a couple days actually."

"Oh," Jeff said, trying to hide his smile.

Nick smiled at him. "Come on, lets go home."

Michael picked up the bag that Jeff had dropped and walked towards the exit.

"Do you want to ride with Nick?" Michael asked.

Jeff nodded and looked at Nick.

Nick smiled and took one of his bags.

They loaded their bags in the cars and headed back to Dalton.

"Welcome back guys," Ross said, marking their names off of a list as they walked in.

"Is Blue in yet?" Michael asked.

"Um, yep. He's been here for two days," Ross answered.

Michael nodded. "What about Sebastian."

Ross looked down at his list again. "Nope."

Michael sighed and walked towards the stairs.

Nick rolled his eyes and followed behind him.

Jeff looked at the two in confusion, but followed behind too.

Michael walked into his room and slammed the door.

Nick followed Jeff into his room and closed the door, making Jeff jump.

Jeff turned to face Nick after setting his bags down.

"I need to tell you something," Nick said, setting his jacket and keys down and sitting down on Jeff's bed.

Jeff sat down next to him nervously.

"Michael. He's not who you think he is. Well, he is. There are just things you don't know."

"Like what?" Jeff questioned.

"He likes Sebastian. He's liked him for a long time."

Jeff hesitated. "What are you trying to say?"

Nick took a deep breath. "Be careful. I don't want to see you hurt."

Jeff closed his eyes. "Thanks."

Nick nodded and rubbed his back gently. He reached down and pulled out his phone when it started ringing.

"Hey Paige," Nick said into the phone.

"Hi baby. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go for coffee or something," Paige said.

"Sure. Now?"

"Yeah. Are you busy?"

Nick looked at Jeff who nodded encouragingly. "No. We can go now."

"Kay. See ya in a few," Paige said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Nick said. "I have to go," he said to Jeff. "I'm sorry."

Jeff smiled. "It's okay. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, see you later," Nick said, not standing up.

Jeff's eyes locked onto Nick's. "Are- are you going?" he asked after a few seconds.

Nick didn't answer. He just held Jeff's gaze. He laid his hand on Jeff's cheek and leaned in, kissing him gently.

Jeff kissed him back but then pulled away.

Nick looked away and stood up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It was stupid. I- I have to go."

Jeff stood up too. "Wait. Nick."

Nick turned around. He saw the pleading look in his eyes. He walked to him and kissed him again. With much more longing than the first time. "No. No wait. This isn't right."

Jeff backed away and watched as Nick grabbed his jacket and keys and ran out of the room.

Nick started running for the parking lot before he saw anyone else. But his plan failed, as he almost ran straight into Kimmy.

"Nick. Honey what's wrong?" Kimmy asked.

Nick hadn't realized that he was crying until he saw the look on Kimmy's face. He walked into her arms and started crying harder.

"Shhh Nick. It's okay. It's alright," she whispered.

Nick pulled back and wiped his eyes.

"What happened Nick?" Kimmy asked.

"I kissed him," Nick mumbled.

"Jeff?"

Nick nodded.

"This is bad right?" Kimmy asked.

"Yes. I love Paige. I've been with her for eleven months. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Nothing is wrong with you. You're confused. That's normal." She watched as tears formed in his eyes again. "Come here sweetie," she said, wrapping her arms around him again.

"I don't know what to do," Nick said into her shoulder.

"Do you enjoy being with him? Kissing him?"

Nick pulled back and smiled. "Yeah. Kissing him was amazing. Being with him. It's perfect." He stopped, still smiling.

"And how do you feel with her?"

"With her? With her it's like- it's magical. She's like my princess. And she makes me feel like her prince. She's beautiful. Inside and out."

"Would you describe it as perfect?" Kimmy asked carefully.

Nick hesitated. "No. We fight a lot but- wait. Why?"

"Because you just described being with Jeff, as perfect," Kimmy said slowly.

Nick stared at her in disbelief. "Oh god," he whispered.

Kimmy sighed. "Go see her. Then come back. If one doesn't make you feel like the other, then..." she trailed off.

Nick nodded, swallowing back the tears again. "Thank you," he said, turning and running to his car. He drove out of the parking lot as fast as he could.

He had made up his mind when he was talking with Kimmy. Or so he had thought. He knew that Kimmy was right. She had been right months earlier when she told him that it was obvious that he liked Jeff. But he had been with Paige for almost a year. And he had real feelings for her and he couldn't just hurt her like that.

---

"Michael?" Jeff asked quietly, knocking on his door lightly.

Michael set his book down and smiled at Jeff. "Hey."

Jeff walked in and sat down on his bed. "Hi."

"Is everything okay?" Michael asked worriedly.

Jeff shook his head slowly.

Michael slid forward and wrapped his arm around Jeff's waist. "What's wrong?"

Jeff looked down at his hands.

"Jeff. You can tell me."

"Me and Nick kissed."

Michael hesitated. "Do you like him?"

Jeff nodded slowly. "But I don't know if he likes me. Because he's with Paige or whatever. I just thought you should know."

Michael ran his fingers through Jeff's blonde hair. "It's okay."

"Are you sure?"

Michael smiled. "Yeah. I knew it would happen eventually. I'm just glad its him."

"What do you mean? You guys are best friends."

Yeah. But there are some guys here that you don't want to get yourself involved with. Trust me," Michael said.

"Have you?" Jeff asked. "Gotten involved with someone you shouldn't have."

Michael nodded. "Yeah. I am now."

Jeff looked at him in confusion.

"Well, kind of. I've liked Sebastian for a really long time. But I've been trying to let it go for a while because he's straight. So I guess we both kind of have the same problem," Michael said, half smiling at him.

Jeff smiled back. "Is he here yet?"

Michael shook his head slowly. "No," he said sadly.

Jeff reached down and took his hand. "I'm sorry."

Michael smiled at him again. "Its's okay."

All of a sudden the door swung open and Nick was standing there.

"Can we talk?" Nick asked Jeff quietly.

Jeff looked at Michael and then stood up. "I'll see you later Michael."

Michael nodded. "Yeah. See you later."

Jeff followed Nick out of the room and into his. He closed the door behind them and watched as Nick sat down on his bed and curled in on himself. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier," Nick whispered.

"No. It's okay. Don't be sorry," Jeff said.

Nick sat quietly for a few seconds and then stood up abruptly. "Jeff," he said softly, reaching down to take his hand. "I broke up with Paige."

Jeff looked at him, shocked. "What? Why?"

"Because I- I have serious feelings for you Jeff. Like I've never had with her," Nick said. "And they scare me."

Jeff took a shaky breath as Nick moved closer to him. "Can we be scared together?"

Nick smiled and nodded. "Yeah." He leaned up and kissed Jeff, knotting his fingers in his hair.

Jeff wrapped his arms around him, still kissing him, and hugged him close.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked, pulling back and noticing how hard he was breathing.

Jeff nodded. He pulled Nick closer again and laid his head down on his shoulder, trying to catch his breath.

"Can I ask you something?" Nick asked softly.

Jeff pulled away and smiled. "Of course. Ask away."

"What happened to you?" Nick whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"That day that I found you in the courtyard. You were scared out of your mind. Of me. Of everything. What happened? What did that to you?"

Jeff looked down. He pulled Nick over to the bed and they sat down beside each other against the head board.

"Sit back. It's a long story..."

---

A few months later, Sebastian returned to Dalton. A "new and improved" person.

"Michael can I borrow your- oh. I'm sorry. I'll come back later," Jeff said, seeing Michael and Sebastian laying on the bed together.

"No. Jeff it's okay," Michael said. "What do you need?"

"I was just going to ask if I could borrow that book again."

Michael sat up. "Yeah. It's on my desk over there. Are you having nightmares again?"

Jeff nodded hesitantly.

"Well we can talk later if you want to."

"No. It's okay. I just want to read some," Jeff said, grabbing the book and heading for the door.

"Okay," Michael said quietly, watching him leave.

"Is he okay?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't know," Michael answered.

Sebastian sighed. "Come here," he whispered, pulling him back down on the bed and kissing him.

Jeff walked back to his room and laid down with the book.

"Have you seen Sebastian?" Nick asked, walking into Jeff's room.

"He's in Michael's room," Jeff said dully.

Nick stood at the door, watching him for a few seconds. He closed the door quietly and walked over to the bed. He sat down next to him, pulling the book out of his hands and leaned in to kiss him softly.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked.

Jeff looked away from him. "No."

Nick reached out and took Jeff's hand, intertwining their fingers. "What's wrong?"

Jeff wrapped his fingers around Nick's hand tightly.

"The nightmares?"

Jeff nodded. "They scare me," he whispered.

Nick wrapped his arm around Jeff as he started crying quietly.

Jeff slouched down onto Nick's shoulder and then just laid his head in his lap.

Nick stroked his hair gently and rubbed his back. "It's okay Jeff. No one can hurt you here. You're safe."

Jeff sighed and relaxed a little.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Nick asked.

Jeff looked up at him and nodded with pleading eyes.

Nick smiled at him. "Then I'll stay. Lay down over there," he said, pointing to the pillow.

Jeff sat up and slid over to the other side of the bed and watched as Nick laid down beside him, curling up to him.

Nick watched him carefully, gazing into his eyes. He eventually leaned in and kissed him. He started to push Jeff back, crawling on top of him.

Jeff started breathing heavier, but let him keep going.

Nick pulled his T-shirt off and reached down to pull Jeff's hoodie over his head. "Have you ever done this before?" he whispered.

Jeff shook his head. "No. Have you?"

"Not with a guy. But don't be scared. I won't hurt you. Tell me if I do, okay?"

Jeff nodded slowly.

Nick smiled at him and leaned down to kiss him again.

---

"Attention all students and faculty. Please follow bomb threat procedures and exit the buildings."

Jeff looked up from his book, quite startled.

"Okay guys, grab your things quickly so we can go outside," Mrs. Jude said.

Jeff shoved his books into his bag and started walking to the door with the rest of his English class.

"Jeff," Michael called from down the hallway, running towards him.

Jeff stopped and turned around. "Michael. What's wrong? What happened?"

"Someone's trying to blow up the chemistry lab. I don't know who it is though."

"Oh my god. Nick's in there," Jeff whispered.

"I know," Michael whispered. "So is Sebastian."

"We have to go find them," Jeff said, starting to walk the other way.

"Oh no you don't," Kimmy said, grabbing Michael by the collar of his blazer.

"Kimmy. Come on. Sebastian and Nick are in there," Michael said, pulling away.

"I know, and there are people in there getting them out. They'll be fine. But you two are coming with me to find your classes," she said, pushing them towards the mass of students walking towards the exit.

"Michael. What if he gets hurt? Or if he dies?"

Michael stopped walking and stood in front of Jeff, laying his hands on his arms. "No. Stop. Don't think like that. He's going to be fine. Sebastian is going to be fine. It's okay."

"Please exit the buildings as quickly as you can," the intercom said again.

"Boys, come on," Kimmy said, pushing them forward and starting to run.

They ran out of the building and out of the school gates to the other students and staff.

When Jeff stopped running, he turned to Michael and buried his face in his chest. "I can't lose him Michael. I can't lose him too."

"I know Jeff. I know," Michael whispered to him.

"Jeff, there are probably about a hundred people working to get him out right now," Kimmy said to him, rubbing his back.

Jeff nodded, but stayed in Michael's arms.

A few minutes later five bomb squad trucks drove past them and went through the gates.

Jeff started crying and leaned farther into Michael.

"Shhh, it's okay Jeff," Michael said, starting to cry too. He buried his face into Jeff's shoulder and the two stood there crying together.

Ten minutes later, Kimmy turned to Jeff.

"Jeff. Sweetie. You may want to turn around," she said quietly.

Jeff pulled away from Michael and saw Nick approaching them. Jeff ran at him and threw his arms around his neck. "Oh my god Nick. I was so worried. I thought I had lost you. I thought I was never going to see you again. That-"

Nick shut him up with a gentle kiss. "I'm fine," he whispered.

Jeff sighed in relief, still trying to comprehend that Nick was actually standing in front of him. He wrapped his arms around him again and held on to him.

"Shhh, Jeff. It's okay," Nick said soothingly when he felt Jeff shaking.

"Nick?" Michael asked hesitantly.

Nick looked up at him, knowing what he was going to ask. "He'll be out in a few minutes. They were talking to him about some things. He's fine," he said gravely.

Michael nodded and his eyes locked on to the path that led back to the school.

"Attention!" the dean yelled through his bullhorn, making a squeaking noise as he shouted. "All students are to return to their dorms and all staff are to report to the infirmary immediately."

"Come on," Nick whispered, taking his hand and pulling him towards the path.

"Michael. Please follow me," the dean said.

Jeff turned around and watched as Michael followed the dean back toward the school buildings quickly.

"He'll be fine. Don't worry about it," Nick said, pulling him away again.

"What happened?" Jeff asked once they were safely in Nick's room.

Nick flopped down on his bed. "About halfway into class we heard something outside the door and then someone slipped something under the door. Mr. Spencer read it and told us all to stay in our seats and stop working. After he got off the phone he told us that someone had stuck an explosive to the door and it was motion activated. A bomb squad got there a few minutes later. They told us that it wouldn't blow up the building but it would blow off the door. So they blew off the door and then told us to get out so they could search for more."

Jeff sat down on the bed beside him and took his hand.

Nick sat up and wrapped his arms around Jeff. "I was so scared," Nick whispered.

"I know. I was too," Jeff whispered back.

"I used to think about what would happen if I died. Like who would actually care. And there was no one. But now, I can't even imagine," Nick said, staring at Jeff.

Jeff leaned in and kissed him. "You're not going anywhere. Neither am I."

Nick smiled and scooted closer to him. "I love you."

Jeff was taken aback a little, but leaned over and kissed Nick's nose. "I love you too."

---

"Sebastian! Wait! Please don't do this!" Michael screamed.

"Do what? Leave your sorry ass?" Sebastian asked.

"What does that mean?" Michael questioned.

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"Sebastian please," Michael begged.

Sebastian laughed. "Bye," he said, walking down the stairs and slamming the door.

Michael leaned back against the wall and slid down it. He pulled his knees up and started crying.

Jeff walked out of his room a few minutes later. "Michael? What happened?" he asked, sitting down beside him.

"I don't know. He just said that we shouldn't be together anymore," Michael said, laying his head on Jeff's shoulder.

Jeff wrapped his arm around him and rubbed his back gently. "It's okay," he whispered.

Nick looked out of the room and shook his head. He knew this would happen.

A week later, Michael and Sebastian were back together. And two weeks later, Sebastian did the same thing.

The same thing happened for the rest of the school year, and every time, Michael came back.

---

One day, Jeff heard a baby's scream come from downstairs and he went down to investigate.

"What was that?" Jeff asked.

Michael pointed to Sebastian sitting on the couch, holding a baby.

"Her name is Beth," Sebastian said, smiling at her. "Mr. Mike is about to take her to a doctors appointment to get her checked out.

"She's so cute," Jeff said. "Wait. Who's is she?"

"She's mine," Sebastian said, still smiling. "Come on Beth." He stood up and walked to the door as someone knocked on it. "Thank you so much for this Mr. Mike," Sebastian said, handing Beth to him.

"Of course. I'll be back in a couple of hours," Mr. Mike said.

"I'll be waiting," Sebastian said, closing the door.

"This is a terrible idea. You're going to get caught," Jeff said.

"Not if no one says anything," Sebastian said.

Jeff rolled his eyes. But his prediction was right. The dean had found Mr. Mike with the baby and found out whose it was and gave Sebastian a week to find her a new home.

---

Jeff spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break with Michael while Nick was in New York with his aunt.

Over the summer, all of the boys stayed at the beach house in Miami.

"Nick!" Jeff shouted as he saw him approaching the front gates of Dalton.

Nick dropped his bag and ran straight to Jeff, throwing his arms around him and kissing him.

Jeff wrapped his arms around his waist and lifted him off the ground, still kissing him.

"Hi," Nick said, jumping down and letting go of his choke hold on him.

"Hi," Jeff replied.

"I missed you," Nick said, taking his hand.

"I missed you too," Jeff whispered.

Nick smiled. "Come on." He picked up his bag and they started walking towards Simul.

"Hey guys," Blue greeted as they walked in.

Nick raised his eyebrows. "You're the new head of Simul?"

"Yep," Blue said.

"Sweet," Nick said, giving him a high five.

Jeff and Nick walked upstairs and put their bags in their rooms.

"Come here," Nick whispered, pulling Jeff into his room and locking the door behind them.

Jeff smiled and leaned down to kiss Nick, pushing him toward the bed.

---

"Nick, you know what he's going to do, you have to stop it," Cameron said.

"He won't listen to me. He's too caught up in Sebastian," Nick said again.

"But you won't even try."

"Because it's pointless."

Cameron sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, standing up and walking out.

Nick found that he had been right. Over the next few months, Michael distanced himself from all of them. He got closer to Sebastian, who continued to break his heart every other week.

Right after Christmas break, Jeff finally got up the nerve to confront Michael about it.

"Michael?" Jeff asked, knocking on his door softly.

"Go away," Michael said.

Jeff could hear that he was crying. "Michael, I just want to talk."

When Michael didn't respond, Jeff walked in. He found Michael standing on the edge of a broken window.

"What are you doing Michael?" Jeff questioned.

"He told me. This is the only way. I can be with my mom again if I do it," Michael said.

"What? Who told you that?" Jeff asked.

"Sebastian. That's what he told me. He wouldn't lie to me. He wouldn't."

"Yes he would Michael. Everything he's said to you is probably a lie. This is crazy. It's not the answer. Please get down from there."

"I can't Jeff. I can't."

Tears spilled over and Jeff started crying. "Please Michael. Please."

"I'm sorry Jeff. I have to. I'm sorry."

"What about Carmen? Stacey? Your dad?" Jeff asked.

"They'll live without me. They'll be fine."

"Michael please," Jeff sobbed.

"I have to. Tell Carmen I love her," Michael whispered.

Jeff took a step forward.

Michael turned around and looked at Jeff. "I'm sorry."

"Michael, I-" He stopped as Michael turned away and jumped.

"Michael!" Jeff screamed. He ran forward and looked out of the window to find him lying motionless on the ground. He sat down on the floor and laid down, sobbing.

"Jeff? What's all the- oh my god Jeff. What's wrong?" Nick asked, running to him and sitting him up.

"Michael- he-he jumped- and- he's- he's-" Jeff tried to say in between sobs.

Nick looked horrified. He looked over the edge of the window and saw his best friend since kindergarten, lying on the ground. Dead.

Nick pulled out his cell phone and called 911.

"There's no use," Jeff whispered.

Ten minutes later, the paramedics had arrived, along with the dean. Sebastian was no where to be found.

As the paramedics rolled Michael away on a stretcher, Jeff tried to run after them, but Nick held him back.

"Stop. Jeff. Don't," Nick said, still holding him back.

Jeff finally stopped struggling against him and collapsed on the ground, taking Nick with him and laying down in his lap.

Nick just held him. "Shhhh, calm down."

"Nick, I know this is a horrible time, but is he behind this?" the dean asked.

Nick nodded slowly.

"I'll find a way to expel him. I promise," the dean said.

Nick nodded, tears finally coming to his eyes too. He leaned down And rested his head on Jeff's back.

"They'll get him for it Jeff. I swear," Nick whispered.

---

Blaine looked up at Jeff and watched as tears spilled down his cheeks. He had been so engulfed in the story that he hadn't realized that Jeff was crying.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

"Yeah. I just haven't told someone all of that before. I haven't even really talked about Michael since that day."

"I'm sorry," was all Blaine could say.

Jeff nodded and then turned to him. "I assume you have some questions."

"Yeah. Blue, he told me it was Michael's brother that died," Blaine said slowly. "And he said it was him that found Michael."

Jeff laughed quietly. "Of course he told you that. You don't believe thats true right?"

Blaine shook his head. "I believe you. And I have another question."

"Shoot," Jeff said.

"Paige. Blue's sister Paige?"

Jeff nodded.

"The bomb. Who planted it?"

"Sebastian," Jeff answered.

"Okay. Last question," Blaine said.

Jeff smiled and nodded again.

"Well you know how Michael told you that someone from Dalton paid your doctors to kill you?"

"Yeah," Jeff said slowly.

"Did you ever find out who it was?"

Jeff closed his eyes and nodded. He hesitated. "It was Sebastian too."

"That's not a real surprise," Blaine said.

"You're right. It's not. But it was then. No one thought he would do something like that then."

Blaine nodded.

"But you know there was a point to all of this. I want you to know that I know what you're going through. What you've been through. And I don't want you to be afraid to open up to me. Because I don't want you to turn into what I did after Michael died.

"And I know that you miss Blue. Some nights I go and sit up in Michael's room and I hear you talking about him in your sleep."

Blaine looked down at his hands, not sure of what to say.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. Just know that I'm here. And you have someone to go to if it ever becomes too much."

Blaine nodded. "Thanks."

Jeff smiled and hugged him. "You have Kurt too."

"Yeah. I know."

"Keep him close. I know it feels like he could just leave you, but he's not Blue. Or Michael. He's Kurt."

"He's perfect," Blaine said mockingly.

"I still can't believe he told Kimmy that about me. I still can't believe he's mine," Jeff said, smiling to himself.

"Yeah? Well believe it," Nick said, walking into the courtyard with Kurt following behind him. "Look who I found Blaine."

Blaine stood up and walked to Kurt to hug and kiss him. "Hi."

"Hey," Kurt said. "How are you?" he asked, touching the scar on his forehead gently.

"I'm okay. Amazing now," Blaine said smiling.

"How long were you listening?" Jeff asked.

"Oh, only since, 'I loved him since the moment we first spoke'," Nick said dramatically. "I'm just kidding. We just walked up."

"We both know that's not what I was thinking when I first talked to you," Jeff said quietly.

Nick took his hand and kissed him gently. "I love you."

Jeff smiled contently. "I love you too."

"Did you tell him everything?"

"Pretty much," Jeff said. "Wait. How did you find us here?"

Nick shrugged. "Kurt has great intuition."

Jeff rolled his eyes.

"I'm just kidding again. Why wouldn't you come here? To the same place we really met."

Jeff smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

"So how's your dad?" Blaine asked.

"He's doing better. Carroll decided to send Finn on the trip by himself so she could come home and take care of him," Kurt said.

"That's good. Because I'm really glad you're here," Blaine said quietly.

Kurt smiled. "Me too."

Blaine reached up and wrapped his arms around Kurt's neck.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist and sighed softly.

"I hate to cut your moment short, but its freezing and we've been out here for a long time," Jeff said.

Blaine laughed. "I'm fine," he said, hugging Kurt closer.

Jeff shook his head. "Yeah? Your toes may not feel quite the same about that."

Blaine sighed and pulled away from Kurt, taking his gloved hand.

Jeff walked up beside Blaine, Nick's hand in his. "Are you okay?" he asked, quiet enough so only Blaine heard it.

Blaine hesitated but then nodded, squeezing Kurt's hand. "Yeah."

"Is everything okay?" Kurt asked.

Blaine turned to him and smiled. He lifted their hands to his lips and kissed Kurt's. "Yes."

Kurt sighed and smiled back.

When they got back to Simul, Blaine followed Kurt into his room.

"I need to go talk to Jeff for a minute. Is that okay?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah. Just don't take too long," Kurt said, kissing him gently.

Blaine smiled. "I won't," he walked out of Kurt's room and into Jeff's and then Nick's, but didn't find them in either place. He walked down to the main living room and found both Nick and Jeff curled up on the couch together.

Jeff turned around when he heard the footsteps and smiled. "Hey Blaine. What's up?"

"I- I need to ask you something," Blaine said slowly.

Jeff looked down at Nick. "He's asleep. Come sit over here," he said, patting the couch on the other side of him.

Blaine sat down on the couch and pulled his knees to his chest.

"Are you alright?" Jeff asked.

Blaine nodded.

"What is it?"

"Okay. The first time you and Nick, you know..." Blaine said, trailing off.

Jeff smiled. "Yeah."

Blaine hesitated. "Were you scared that he would hurt you?"

A look of realization crossed Jeff's face. "I think I get what you're asking here."

"Well it's just that every time we touch like that, I get scared. I remember Louis, and I can't get him out of my head," Blaine explained quietly.

Jeff nodded. "Well you know he's not Louis."

"I know, but it still makes me think of what he did."

"Okay. To answer your first question, I was terrified out of my mind the first time. But I trusted him. And I know what you've been through is different from what I've been through in that aspect. But it's still sort of the same. You don't really trust anyone that much and honestly I still don't trust many people all that much. After all of the backstabbing losers that I've met, everywhere. But I trusted Nick, and still do, with my life. I knew all he wanted to do was take care of me and make sure I wasn't alone and that I never felt alone. I know putting that kind of trust in someone is scary, I was terrified, but if you really trust him, you have to get past being scared."

Jeff reached over and wiped the tears from Blaine's cheeks. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

Blaine smiled. "It's okay. Thank you."

"Of course. So are you okay?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Jeff smiled. "Go find Kurt," Jeff said, pushing him off of the couch.

Blaine laughed and walked to the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"You know I wasn't asleep right?" Nick asked quietly.

Jeff jumped. "Dammit."

Nick laughed and sat up, wrapping his arm around Jeff's waist. "I didn't know that you were that scared. I mean I knew you were, but..."

Jeff looked away.

Nick laid his finger under Jeff's chin and turned his face back towards his. He leaned in and kissed him slowly, slipping his tongue in and wrapping his fingers through Jeff's hair.

Jeff pulled away, but didn't face Nick.

"Hey, Jeff. Look at me," Nick whispered.

Jeff reluctantly turned to face Nick.

"I love you."

Jeff smiled. "I love you too."

---

Blaine opened Kurt's door slowly.

Kurt sat up on his bed and smiled as Blaine walked in. "Hi."

Blaine walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. "Hi."

"Is everything okay?"

Blaine nodded. He leaned up and kissed Kurt slowly, pushing him back.

Kurt slid down so he was laying down again.

Blaine slid on top of him. He pulled Kurt's shirt off and started kissing down his neck. He unbuttoned his own shirt and threw it on the other side of the bed.

Kurt started breathing hard as Blaine slid his belt off and began to unzip his pants slowly. "Blaine, wait."

Blaine stopped immediately and pulled away to look at him.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded. "I'm sure. Are you?"

Kurt nodded too. "I'm sure."

Blaine smiled and kept kissing him, slowly moving down his chest as he slid his pants down.

"Wait Kurt. You have to promise me something," Blaine said, pulling back again.

Kurt was breathing heavy, so he just nodded.

"If I hurt you in any way, or you aren't comfortable with something I do, or you get scared, tell me. Promise me," Blaine said breathlessly.

Kurt nodded again. "I promise."

Blaine went back to kissing him, slowly letting his weight down on him.

"I love you so much," Blaine whispered in his ear.

"I love you too," Kurt whispered back.