Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I don't own Blaine, or Kurt. (Which is probably for the best, all things equal.) No money is being made off of this work. It's a work of fiction, and it's going to potentially contain triggers for all sorts of squicky stuff. So please, if you're easily triggered by mentions of rape, suicide, depression, I won't be at all offended if you go find another story to read. I'd appreciate it, however, if you do read it, please review! The more reviews, the faster I post the next chapter.

Chapter 3 - Burt and Carole

"Blaine!" Carole exclaimed, rushing up and hugging the teen, kissing his cheeks, then taking the bag from him. "It is so good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Carole," he said, slipping out of his shoes and lining them up near the door. He turned to Burt, sitting in his chair with a light beer in hand. "And you, Mr. Hummel, sir. It's good to see you as well."

"Boy, my name is Burt. I've told you that before. It should be easy enough for you to remember. It's your boyfriend's name, with the first letter of your name attached."

That made Blaine smile. "Yes, sir, I mean, Burt," he said. He looked at Carole. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, you boys just sit in the living room with Burt. There's a game of some sort on. Dinner is almost ready, because Finn and Rachel are going to a movie tonight and wanted to have supper at home first." Carole disappeared back into the kitchen.

"You go sit down, I'll get us some drinks," Kurt said, squeezing Blaine's hand. "Ginger ale alright with you?"

"Ginger ale is perfect," Blaine said. He offered Kurt an encouraging smile as they stepped apart.

Kurt walked into the kitchen, where Carole had already pulled out glasses and filled them with ice. "Here you go, honey," she said, pulling out a bottle of ginger ale. She put the sparkling cider in the refrigerator to chill.

"Thank you, Carole," Kurt said. He filled the two glasses. "Um, so Finn and Rachel are going out tonight? Are you and Dad going to be home? I…Blaine and I need to talk to you guys about something."

"We were going to take a walk after dinner, but it can wait. As soon as Rachel and Finn leave, the four of us can sit down and talk about whatever you need."

Kurt nodded. "Thanks," he said again. He carried the glasses into the living room.

While Kurt was gone, Blaine had perched himself on the edge of the loveseat. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Burt. This week has been…difficult, to say the least."

"Well as long as you two are happy, that's all that matters," Burt said. "I'm proud of my son, I wouldn't trade him for anything. But I want him happy, healthy, and whole. You do that for him. Just…keep the bedroom door open, alright?"

"Dad!" Kurt exclaimed, walking into the room, glasses in hand. "Blaine and I aren't doing anything like that!"

"You're telling me you two aren't sexually active," Burt asked, somewhat skeptically.

Both Blaine and Kurt flushed a deep red, but both shook their heads emphatically. "Sir, Burt, Kurt and I agree that we have all the time in the world for that, and we're taking things slow," Blaine said. "We both want to be comfortable."

"That's good," Burt said. "Very good to know. I just want you two to know I'm not picking on you because you're gay. I don't want Finn to have sex in this house either."

"Oh, come on!" Finn exclaimed as he and Rachel walked into the house with impeccable timing. "Please tell me we aren't having the sex talk tonight."

"No," Burt said. "I was talking to the boys about something and used you as an example. Supper's almost ready."

"I'll go help Carole," Rachel said. She skipped into the kitchen.

Finn sat down on the couch, leaving Kurt to settle onto the loveseat with Blaine. The two had always tried to keep a low profile on their PDA when around Kurt's family, but tonight was different. Tonight they held hands, clutching each other like lifelines. They only separated when it came time to eat supper in the dining room. Burt poured each one a glass of cider, and proposed a toast.

"To our little extended family," Burt said, raising his glass. "May every member be content and happy, and know you'll always have a place under our roof."

"Cheers!" the other five chorused. Rachel looked like she wanted to add something, but a look from Finn had her closing her mouth and turning back to her lasagne.

Kurt pushed his food around in circles, piling the lasagne up in bites to make it look like he was eating. Blaine noticed that barely any food actually made it into Kurt's mouth. It hurt him to know that Kurt was in so much pain he couldn't bring himself to eat. He brushed his foot against Kurt's calf, hoping to elicit at least a smile. Instead, Kurt flushed, brought a hand up to his mouth and giggled silently. A better reaction than Blaine had hoped for.

Finn was oblivious to the play between the two, and Rachel told herself it was because they'd just gotten back together, mentally citing how she and Finn had acted in the weeks after their triumphant reunion at Nationals the previous year. Burt and Carole, however, could tell something was up. Carole stopped Burt from saying anything until after Finn and Rachel left for the movie. Then, smiling gently, she directed them to the living room. She'd made tea and coffee, and brought it in on a tray.

"Are we going for our walk?" Burt asked, eyeing the coffee.

"In a little while. Kurt told me before dinner that he and Blaine had something they wanted to talk to us about," Carole said. "So I thought I'd make us tea and coffee so we could relax and talk."

"What's wrong?" Burt asked, pouring himself some coffee. "I could tell all through dinner that something was bothering you, Kurt. What is it?"

Kurt looked down at his hands, entwined with Blaine's, ignoring the coffee the latter had poured for him. "Carole," he said, directing his attention to his step-mother. "I'm sure you already suspect this, but, last Saturday night, something happened to me." He blinked back tears, and Blaine automatically reached for a tissue, dabbing at his boyfriend's eyes. "And before I tell you what it was, you have to know Blaine had nothing to do with it, okay? I broke up with him because of it, but he didn't do anything wrong."

"Alright," Burt said. "What happened?"

"I was raped," Kurt said, so quietly it was barely audible. "By a stranger at a truck stop. He attacked me when I stopped to fill my car with gas, and he raped me."

"Which explains the blood, and the hidden clothes," Carole said quietly. The horror she felt was reflected in her eyes, but she merely reached over and patted Kurt's shoulder. "Honey, why didn't you tell us?" she asked. "You have to know we would have just wanted to help."

"Because I didn't want you to know!" Kurt said. "I didn't want anyone to know. And no one would have, except that Blaine cornered me today."

"In the girl's bathroom, no less," Blaine said, a tiny smile crossing his face. "I walked in there and demanded that he tell me the truth. And he finally did. It explained everything, except one thing. Kurt, why did you think you weren't good enough for me anymore?"

"I'm damaged goods," Kurt said simply. "I still don't think I'm good enough for you. But you're very persistent." That earned him a smile from Blaine.

Burt, who had said nothing, stood up and paced the living room. "I'm calling the cops," he said.

"Dad, no!" Kurt exclaimed. "I can't describe him, it was a week ago. And he used a condom, so there wouldn't have been any evidence, even then. I just want to forget this all happened. The physical pains will heal, and I'll be back to normal soon enough."

"Kurt, honey," Carole said gently. "I know it's been six days, but I want you to go to the hospital and get checked out. I'll drive you. Why don't you get your coat and shoes?"

"No!" Kurt exclaimed again, his pitch rising higher with each outburst. "I'm not going to the emergency room on a Friday night. Do you have any idea what sort of crazies are there? It's a bad idea."

"I think it's a good idea," Burt said. "In fact, I'm going to insist on it. So don't fight it, let's just get you checked out."

Kurt looked to Blaine for help, but didn't find any in his boyfriend's shining hazel eyes, bright with unshed tears. "Kurt, your parents are right," he said quietly. "We need to know if he did any permanent damage. But I'll take you, and stay with you the entire time. And I promise you, I'll never look away from your face. Not once."

Carole smiled at the depth of love between the two. "I would be alright with that," she said. "As long as you call me from the hospital when you get there, so I know you actually went, and as long as you come straight home and go straight to bed afterwards, Kurt."

"How about a compromise?" Kurt asked. "Blaine stays the night, yes, Dad, with the door open, and in the morning, I let him drive me to the health clinic. That way we don't have to tie up the emergency room with something that happened a week ago, and I see a doctor."

"I like all of that except the Blaine staying the night part," Burt said. "Not sure how I feel about that."

"Mr. Hummel, Burt," Blaine said, immediately coming to Kurt's defense. "Look at him. He's obviously in no shape for being inappropriate, as you call it. I think he and I both need some time to come to terms with all of this, and, to be honest, I'm not ready to be away from him yet tonight."

"Carole, honey, what do you think?" Burt asked.

"Blaine's right, dear, there's not a chance in this world that they'd get up to anything more intimate than holding one another." She looked over and saw that Kurt was blushing redder than she'd ever seen. "And if he's promising to take care of Kurt tomorrow, while we both have to work, I think being a slight bit uncomfortable for one evening is a small price to pay." She smiled at Kurt and Blaine. "Is there anything else you need to tell us?"

Kurt sighed, a shaky sigh. "No," he said quietly. "I'm not going to share the sordid details, and I need time to work through how I'm feeling about this."

Something occurred to Burt. "Kurt, you wear your heart on your sleeve. I know I've been busy this week, and I've missed a lot, but how long did you really think you could pull off keeping something like this a secret?"

Blaine went pale, but kept his promise and said nothing. He merely squeezed Kurt's hand. Kurt, for his part, sighed softly. "I…I was going to kill myself," he said quietly.

"What?" Carole cried. Burt clenched his hands into fists and said nothing. "Kurt, why?" she exclaimed.

"Between the bullying, which, yeah, has gotten loads better, and the rape, and all the pain, I just didn't want to deal with life anymore. But…" Kurt sighed. "But Blaine changed all that. I don't feel that way anymore, Dad, Carole. I promise."

"You're going to see a counselor," Burt said firmly. "As soon as I can arrange it."

Kurt bit back an automatic protest. He knew his father was right. "Will you settle for Ms. Pillsbury?" he asked quietly.

"You can start with Ms. Pillsbury, but if she suggests you see someone else, you're going," Burt said resolutely.

"I think he's right," Blaine said quietly. He couldn't resist the urge to press his forehead to Kurt's temple.

"I know he is," Kurt said. "I can't do this by myself. As much as I would like to. I'm going to need help to get through this." And he knew Ms. Pillsbury would help him.

Carole got up and hugged Kurt tightly, pulling Blaine into the embrace as well. "I love you boys," she said. "And we'll work through this. I promise."

"Thank you, Carole," Kurt said, his voice barely a whisper. He extricated himself from the embrace and stood, walking over to his dad. "Dad, can you forgive me?"

Burt pulled Kurt into a hug, cradling his son's head to his shoulder. "There's nothing to forgive," he whispered. "You're my son, and I love you, and there's nothing you can do to change that. Nothing you could ever do that would make me stop loving you. It was selfish and wrong of you to consider killing yourself over something we can fix, but I understand why you did it. We're going to get you through this, Kurt. We're going to get us through this."

Blaine walked over and placed a hand on Kurt's arm. "Thank you, Burt, for being so supportive of your son," he said. "It means a lot to me to see it."

"You don't have the same at home, do you," Burt asked.

Blaine shook his head. "Why do you think I spend so much time over here?" he asked. "A loving, accepting environment? It's more than I could ever hope for. Dad said he paid for Dalton to help me, but really, I think he just wanted me ninety minutes away from the house. He wasn't thrilled when I transferred to McKinley."

"I think it's time we leave you two alone to talk," Carole said. "Burt and I need to take our evening walk."

"But," Burt said, holding up a finger.

"We know, Dad, no being inappropriate," Kurt said. "Believe me, Blaine and I have a lot to talk about. And I have no energy for anything else. Alright?"

Burt nodded. "Alright," he said. "Let's go, Carole." He reached for his wife's hand and led her toward the door. They put their shoes and coats on and walked outside. "I can't believe this," he said quietly.

"Neither can I," Carole said. "Poor Kurt. He's so young…"

"And so inexperienced," Burt said. "I mean, when I forced him to have that talk about sex, he knew nothing, Carole. About sex in general, much less about sex between men. And now, to be introduced to it so….horribly." He shook his head. "Carole, what do we do?"

"We make sure he knows we're here for him, that we don't judge him, and," Carole turned toward Burt and looked into his eyes, "we accept that he and Blaine are serious about one another, and we give them a safe place to be together."

Burt sighed. "I don't know that I'm ready to take things that far. But I'll consider it."

"That's all I can ask," Carole said. "Now. About that walk." The two set off on their normal evening path.

Back in the house, after Carole and Burt had left, Blaine took Kurt's hands in his and squeezed them gently. "Do you want to talk here, or go to your room?"

"My room," Kurt said immediately. "There are things I want to tell you, and I…I need to be comfortable to do that."

"Can I borrow some pajamas?" Blaine asked. "Since I'm apparently staying the night and all."

"Of course," Kurt said. He tugged Blaine up the stairs and into his bedroom, carefully leaving the door halfway open. But once inside, Kurt paused. "Blaine," he said, a note of urgency in his voice. "Could…that is, I'd rather change separately."

Blaine frowned. "Of course," he said. "Whatever makes you comfortable." He took the offered pants and shirt. "I'll just go into the bathroom, alright?"

"Sure," Kurt said. He waited until Blaine was in the bathroom, and changed into pajamas as quickly as possible. Then he tugged the covers back on the bed, pulling off the towel that had been protecting his sheets. He was about to toss it into the hamper when Blaine opened the bathroom door and walked out. "Blaine!" he squeaked, hiding the towel behind him.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked, rushing over.

"Just, close your eyes," Kurt said. "There's something I don't want you to see."

"What is it?" Blaine asked. "C'mon, Kurt, you promised to tell me everything. What's going on?"

"It's nothing," Kurt said. "Just…I had to put a towel on the sheets the last week, to make sure the sheets weren't ruined."

"You're still bleeding that much?" Blaine asked incredulously.

Kurt simply nodded. "I am," he said.

"Then you should probably get another towel for tonight," Blaine said gently. "What about your clothing? I know how particular you are…" He followed Kurt into the bathroom, where the taller boy pulled another thick black towel off a shelf.

"I'm going to have to earmark more than half my summer wardrobe allowance to replace the clothing I've ruined this week," Kurt said. "But as I thought I wasn't going to be around much longer, I…I really didn't care."

"The day Kurt Hummel doesn't care about his clothing is the day the sun refuses to shine," Blaine said with a smile. He helped Kurt spread the towel across the sheets. "Now, let's talk."

TO BE CONTINUED…

If, that is, I receive any feedback that says it's wanted.