"And cut!" Lenny called out as he hit the power button on the camera. "That's a wrap on that one."

Kurt thanked whatever deity may exist as he felt Mr. Lawrence tap him on the back signifying that he could stand. This was his fifth scene and he had had just about as much as he could stand. This session almost rivaled one of Blaine's. Mr. Lawrence hadn't taken it as easy on him as he had been doing the past four sessions that he had been forced to endure.

The one relief was that even though he had threatened, Mr. Lawrence still hadn't brought out the cane. Kurt remembered the reaction Blaine had had to it, and hadn't been spared from seeing the footage of the first time that it had been used on him. If it truly scared Blaine that much, he was sure it was something he never wanted to experience. Mr. Lawrence generally stuck with his hand and a few different types of paddles. Today he had been introduced to a not particularly kind leather strap.

He still hadn't seen Blaine and it had been yet another week. He still heard no additional noises of protest coming from beyond the locked door and his heart ached with longing. He needed to see Blaine and he had tried to. That's the very infraction that had landed him with his fifth scene.

Kurt lay in bed in a complete trance. It has been weeks since he had seen Blaine; heard his voice, held him...he decided that he could no longer just lay here. He had to see him and assess the damage that Mr. Lawrence had caused. The not knowing was starting to take it's toll on him and he couldn't possibly wait another day. Each additional day was just one more day for Mr. Lawrence to take more of him away. Every precious hour made a complete difference in the grand scheme of things; the longer Blaine was subjected to torture and isolation would encourage him to retreat further and further into his own mind.

Having made his mind up, he crawled silently out of bed, careful not to tread upon the creaky parts of the hardwood floor. Kurt spent enough time in this room to test out which floorboard creaked the most, so he was careful to avoid them. He pulled the safety pin that he had nicked from Mr. Lawrence's office drawer earlier that day when he had pretended he needed to use the restroom during lunch and began to work on picking the lock on his bedroom door. Boy Scouts had taught him an invaluable skill that he never thought would become so important. What ten year old considers the possibility of learning this skill so that if he's kidnapped one day, he'll be able to pick the lock to regain his freedom?

The only problem was that even though he heard the click, the door wouldn't budge. He tried over and over to pull the door, but it wouldn't give. He knew he was making a bit of noise in his countless attempts, but he was desperate to get the door to open. The only problem was that he was being louder than he thought because just as he made to tug on the door handle once again, a voice sounded from behind the door.

"You can keep trying all you want, Kurt, but that door will not move."

Kurt felt his heart drop clear into his stomach. Mr. Lawrence was on the other side of the door calling back into him...taunting him. He dropped his hands from the doorhandle as if the metal had burned him. He scooted back away from the door just as he heard 3 separate locks click and the door that he had tried to work on so desperately swung open and revealed Mr. Lawrence's tall frame.

The older man flipped on the light switch and took in the scene before him. It didn't take him too long to notice the safety pin lying on the floor where Kurt had dropped it from the shock of being caught. He picked it up and began to chuckle as he recognized it as one from his office drawer.

"You and Blaine think alike, Kurt."

Kurt looked up at him in confusion.

"You don't think Blaine tried the very same trick? Only difference, he attempted it much sooner than you did which surprises me. I would have thought you would have done so sooner, but it's no matter. We learned from Blaine's efforts to escape and have improved on them."

With that said, Mr. Lawrence gestured toward the door and Kurt noticed two padlocks and a chain on the other side of the door. How had he not noticed those prior to this failed attempt? He felt his cheeks flush with anger and disappointment. How could he seriously not have noticed that they had installed those?

"I see you're disappointed, Kurt; I don't blame you. I would be too if I just failed Blaine yet again. I don't know when you're going to realize that you can't and will never save him. All you're doing is causing yourself more pain. So for your benefit, I'd highly recommend that you learn self-preservation and quickly."

Kurt felt his throat tighten when Mr. Lawrence insinuated that he had failed Blaine yet again. At first he felt the words sink in as they revealed how he truly felt. He had failed Blaine when he was initially taken and had failed to save him from the numerous punishments he had received since he had been brought here. He could take these words in and let them eat him alive-but that's what Mr. Lawrence wanted; he wouldn't let it happen. If he gave up the fight, then he really was letting Blaine down. So instead he fixed his features into the most defiant glare he could muster and directed it at Mr. Lawrence.

"You have spirit, Kurt. I've seen that since day one. Blaine did too before I beat it out of him, so I'd watch my step if I were you. I'd get some rest, kid; you originally had the day off tomorrow, but now you've just earned yourself a session and you have no one but yourself to blame. Sleep well, kid, you're gonna need it."

With that, the light was flipped off and the door was slammed in front of his face, leaving him in complete darkness.

Kurt was silent as Mr. Lawrence lead him over to the corner and tugged his hands so that they could be placed behind his head. His backside was burning, but he fought every instinct to wince as Mr. Lawrence smacked one of the cherry red cheeks as soon as he was placed in his time out.

"Hopefully that taught you something, Kurt. I will not have either one of my boys attempting any escape or any form of misbehavior. Do I make myself abundantly clear?"

Kurt remained silent until he felt another harsh slap on the other cheek.

"Gah! Yes, yes!" Kurt called out as he attempted to keep still in his position.

He felt another swift slap.

"Yes, what, Kurt?"

Kurt bit his lip harshly as he managed to form words. "Yes, sir."

"Very good," Mr. Lawrence approved with one last slap as he walked away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have the matter of another son to attend to."

Kurt closed his eyes as he felt hopelessness start to creep through him. Why was there absolutely nothing he could do? He needed to see Blaine and there wasn't a thing he could do about it, that much was being demonstrated to him now. The minutes were ticking by as he stared at the stark white wall before him as he tried to quell his feelings of failure.

As another ten minutes ticked by, he was wondering why he was still standing in time out. Generally it only lasted ten minutes, yet he had been in place for around twenty minutes and could feel the dull ache in his arms begin to set in from holding position. He decided to risk a glance over his shoulder and was surprised to see that he had been left alone.

Lenny had to have gone upstairs to tend to Blaine as well...the only thing that bothered Kurt was the fact that the scene was still set up. Normally after a scene, Lenny was quick to start breaking it down. Kurt's silent inquiries were put to rest as soon as he started to hear voices as they came down the staircase. The plus side is that he didn't hear any sounds of abuse or cries from upstairs, which was sadly what he considered to be almost a good sign these days.

"Kurt, you can dress yourself. Lenny and I just discussed a new plan for something on the website that I think you and Blaine will find rather exciting!" Mr. Lawrence called out from somewhere on the stairs. "In fact, it's so exciting that I think we're going to be implementing it today!"

Kurt somehow doubted the insinuation that they would find the news in any way exciting as he complied with the offer to fix his pants hurriedly before he turned around and was met with the returning forms of Mr. Lawrence, Lenny. Kurt felt his heart drop straight to his stomach as he noticed the third person standing with his head pointed towards the ground forlornly and one of his arms wrapped tightly in Lenny's meaty grip: Blaine.

This was a morning that Burt had dreaded since he had had his talk with Gene just two days prior. He had discussed with him this certain website that he had wanted Burt and the Anderson's to see. This meeting was what had him feel like he was on the verge of throwing up his own heart. He was trying to determine whether it was better to know or to remain unaware. He ultimately concluded that he had to be aware; the more he didn't know, the less chance he had of finding Kurt and save his son from whatever horrible situation he had been placed in.

Rachel had flown in from New York the night prior since Finn had told her the news that there might be some information on the whereabouts of Kurt and Blaine. She and Finn were on better terms since he had sent her-well, more like tricked her to get on that train to New York. Burt was equally proud with Finn that he could let go of the girl he loved to allow her to chase her dreams but frustrated that he couldn't broaden his outlook and get the hell out of Lima and be with the girl he loved. He really did like Rachel and he remains hopeful that she and Finn could find their way back to one another eventually. He would never voice this, but it was something he hoped for deep down.

Ever since she arrived she became like a second Carole, bustling around trying to find anything that she could possibly do to make things better. She helped Carole cook, clean, do laundry and any additional menial tasks. He suspected that she was attempting to keep herself busy so that she didn't have to face the reality of what might have happened to two of her best friends. Burt wished more than anything that he could do the same right along side her.

Gene had only mentioned that this website would contain sensitive material, so Burt had made the decision not to bring any of the kids or Carole into it no matter how much they had tried to convince him otherwise. He had no idea what he was about to see and didn't want to subject all of Kurt and Blaine's friends to some kind of image of them that they'd never be able to unsee.

Truth of the matter, he wasn't holding it together well and in case he broke down or became inconsolable, he didn't want them to see it. He needed to be strong for everyone here, somehow, some way. With this whole situation being about Kurt-he wasn't sure how he was going to hold it together. Kurt was his one and only son and he couldn't bear to see him hurt in any way. He just hoped he was wrong about a number of things.

Burt drove silently wishing that he had at least brought Carole with him. He was adamant about being strong and silent about all of this, but he wasn't so sure that he could do it. Carole was his rock; once he got news about Kurt, how was he going to keep it together? He had to be strong for everyone and that included the Anderson's. They had been dealing with Blaine's disappearance for so long, he wasn't sure they could handle all of this any better than he could.

It was a pretty chilly Saturday morning in mid-October, causing Burt to feel the need to stop for a cup of coffee before having to meet up at the Lima News studio; a place where Gene had insisted they would have the utmost privacy. It was close to 7 AM when he found himself parked in front of a place that he never expected to be: The Lima Bean.

At first, he hadn't realized where he had driven to and then it came to him. Memories of dropping Kurt off at this very spot to meet up with Blaine for coffee; the images of the two of them laughing at their table in the corner had tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He could see the table from where he sat in his warm car. The table was empty as if everyone knew that it was off limits.

Burt thought about finding another coffee shop, but he didn't want to risk wasting additional time. He needed the caffeine and the warmth the coffee would bring, so he reluctantly shut the car off and headed into the warm building. The sound of clinking dishes, the buzz of multiple voices, and the strong smell of fresh coffee beans filled all of Burt's senses like a tidal wave. He had been in The Lima Bean plenty of times and had never felt so empty. This was a mistake, he really should have driven somewhere else, but it was too late and he was next in line. Just get the coffee and leave. Burt commanded himself as he made his way to the counter.

"What can I get for ya, sir?" The young girl behind the counter inquired with a bright smile. She couldn't have been much older than Kurt. Early 20's maybe, a college job more than likely.

"Just a medium coffee; black," Burt answered automatically. He snuck another sad glance over to the table in the corner before he made a snap decision that caught him by surprise. "On second thought, can I change that?"

"Sure, sir," She responded as she pressed a few buttons to void the order. "What can we make for you?"

"C-can I get a grande non-fat mocha?"

"You got it, sir," She responded with a flash of her white teeth as she punched in the new order. "That'll be five dollars and twenty six cents, please."

Burt handed over the money with an additional couple of dollars for a tip.

"You know," The barista began as she placed the money in the drawer. "I used to make that very same drink for one of my regulars; sweet kid him and his boyfriend. They used to come in here all the time. I know he moved to New York right after his boyfriend disappeared back in March of last year; sad story," She finished as she turned around to start making the mocha.

Burt felt his throat tighten as she mentioned Kurt. Yeah, this really was a bad idea; he shouldn't be in here. He knew it felt wrong from the moment that he had walked in. He kept feeling as if he was seeing Kurt and Blaine out of the corner of his eyes, but he knew it was just a trick. There were many young couples here having coffee early on a chilly Saturday morning, but Kurt and Blaine weren't one of them and hadn't been for a very long time.

"All right, here's your coffee, sir," The barista announced as she turned back around to hand the coffee to Burt but was stunned to find no one there as he was already in his car and tearing out of the parking lot.

Hey there guys, sorry that this one took longer than I intended. :( I'm back now, though. Also, I have really good news. Turns out I wrote a lot more than I was meaning to so I decided to separate chapter 15 into two parts because it was really that long, lol. So the second half will the chapter 16 which for the most part is already written. So yay for that, eh? That chapter has a lot of stuff in it so I can't wait to share it. So again, sorry for the delay and I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Writing the Lima Bean scene with Burt made me really sad.

Anyways, good to be back and I can't wait to read your thoughts! Chapter 16 is waiting for you! Lol.

- Jamie