Media: Fanfic
Author: Agent_girlsname
Title: Haunted Life: Chapter 5
Rating: PG13
Summary:
Blaine Anderson has a secret, he can see dead people. It isn't as readily accepted as the movies would have you believe and he has to leave two different schools because of the bullying.
As he attends William McKinley High he resolves to completely ignore the ghosts, hoping they will leave him alone, however the ghost of Kurt Hummel isn't so easy to ignore.
But Kurt isn't dead; he's in a coma after being attacked and needs Blaine to help him catch who did it, Blaine just needs someone to believe in him
Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three |Chapter Four | Chapter Five
Kurt frowned at the speakers currently blasting out Iron Maiden from the car stereo; this was a seriously far cry from the playlists of Katy Perry and Pink that usually played while Blaine was driving.
The weekend had come around quickly and as soon as Blaine's parents had left they had gathered all their research, packed some clothes and food for Blaine and climbed into his car.
They had decided to head to Indiana, to a small town with a lake where a boy named Thomas Rigby had been murdered a year before. During their research they had narrowed their search down to seven murder victims that they thought might have been killed by the same person who attacked Kurt. They were all young boys who had been on their own and strangled with something. The murderer hadn't left a trace and there were no suspects for any of the attacks.
The lake where Thomas had been killed was only an hours' drive away from another murder site, so if they didn't have any luck there at least they could travel to another location during the weekend.
They had the weekend planned and even booked a motel for Blaine to stay in overnight. Blaine had almost asked for two beds before Kurt reminded him that he didn't need one.
So far it was just a normal road trip between two boys, even if one of them was only a ghost. They talked and played car games and settled for comfortable silences while the music played. But the choice of music was beginning to make Kurt wonder.
'What is up with this playlist?' He asked eventually as Guns 'n' Roses took over with Welcome to the Jungle. He couldn't physically change over the music so he felt he needed an explanation. Blaine stopped singing along and behind his sunglasses he adopted a sheepish expression.
'You're acting like we're the Winchester brothers or something.' Kurt joked. Blaine barked out a laugh.
'Yeah but without the cool car.' He shrugged. Kurt grinned and began to laugh.
'Oh Blaine, I think you've been watching too much Supernatural.' He said, his shoulder still shaking.
'What's wrong with that? It's a good show!' Blain protested.
'Oh so you can't watch Ghost Whisperer but Supernatural is ok?' Kurt grinned. At the start of this whole affair Kurt had made a throwaway comment about how everything was turning out to be like an episode of Ghost Whisperer, but Blaine had immediately cut him off, snarling that the show was nothing like real life and how no one would ever believe someone that easily, no matter what Jennifer Love Hewitt told them.
Kurt recognized that he had hit a nerve. From what he remembered from the few episodes he had seen there was never much conflict over believing that ghosts were real or not. But then had hadn't seen many of the episodes, maybe there were a few where she wasn't believed at all, but Blaine probably hadn't seen them either.
'Supernatural is different. Sam and Dean are in it together, they don't need anyone else to believe them because they believe in each other.' Blaine said simply, turning the music down and staring out at the long road ahead of them.
Kurt sighed; it always came back to this, Blaine having someone to believe in him, someone who he could trust. It hurt him every time he was reminded just how alone Blaine felt most of the time and how happy he was to have Kurt with him. It made him all the more determined to return to his body so he could be this boy's friend.
And after everything that had happened in the last few weeks he felt closer to Blaine then had ever felt with anyone else in his life, besides maybe his Dad. But this relationship was different, it felt more intimate, knowing so many private things about each other, and Kurt could feel something else building between them.
He liked to think that it could be something akin to a romance, they shared private things about themselves and even though they couldn't touch there was always a longing for some physical contact between them.
But he didn't even know if Blaine was gay, he didn't want to assume just from the few things that had hinted at his sexuality, he'd been wrong before and didn't want to possibly risk their friendship.
Maybe this was just a 'bromance' as the other guys would call it. Kurt had never been too close with any other guy before, he was sure he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
'They also shoot the ghosts with some rock salt if that start to get too rowdy.' Blaine said with a grin, interrupting Kurt's thoughts.
'Have you never tried that?' Kurt asked with a smirk. Blaine chuckled and shook his head.
'If I could get my hands on some rock salt and a shot gun there are a few ghosts I'd like to try it on! Or maybe just salt and burn their bones to get rid of them entirely. But I've never been able to get over the whole grave desecration thing.' He shuddered.
'No, but then if you were a hunter you'd have more than just ghosts to deal with.' Kurt pointed out.
'But they deal with it all together.' Blaine replied wistfully.
'Ok then, when I'm back in my body we'll find a cool car and go ghost hunting properly then, yeah?' Kurt smiled, trying to bring the lighter mood back into the car; they were going to have a heavy couple of days to deal with if they managed to find any of the murder victims.
'Yeah sure, or we could just watch the box sets back to back and not have to go anywhere.' Blaine shrugged, then with a sudden grin he added. 'Plus we can make a list of all the times either Sam or Dean take their shirts off, I think there definitely needs to be a record of that somewhere!'
Well that answers that question then, Kurt thought, his stomach flipping at the revelation. He tried to respond but the words caught in his throat for a moment.
'Well- uh, yeah, I think someone, somewhere must have done that already.' He said.
'Probably, but I think it's be fun to do our own research.' Blaine winked.
'Agreed. Now can we put some different music on please?'
Three and half hours later they were parking in a shady corner of the cemetery where Thomas was buried. Blaine had said that not many ghosts were ever around their own graves, after all who would want to haunt a deserted place with a constant reminder that they were dead? But it was the only possible haunting location with an early closing time, so they decided to start there.
They walked around for just over half an hour, Blaine being grateful for the chance to stretch his legs, looking at the headstones for Thomas.
'Over here!' Kurt called out after a while, standing about twenty feet away from where Blaine was currently searching. He hurried over to Kurt's side and looked down at the pristine headstone. Even though it was less than a year old it was obviously tended to very regularly. Thomas had been very much loved.
'The cemetery closes in half an hour, do you want to wait here until then? He might show up.' Blaine asked, still staring down at the headstone. When Kurt didn't answer he turned to look at the other boy.
Kurt was standing before Thomas's grave, his shoulders tense and whole frame frozen. The look on his face was unreadable, but Blaine could tell something was very wrong.
'What's the matter?' He said softly.
'I shouldn't be here.' Kurt said so quietly Blaine could hardly hear him.
'I know, but it's the only chance we really have of finding out who did this.' Blaine replied. Kurt shook his head.
'No, I mean I shouldn't be here, I should be dead.' His voice cracked and if he could Blaine was sure he would be crying. 'If Santana hadn't interrupted him, if he had finished the job I'd be standing before my own grave, I'd have had to watch my dad bury me and there wouldn't be a thing you could do to help me.'
Suddenly he collapsed to the ground, his head in his arms and shoulder shaking with dry sobs. Blaine knelt down next to him, barely holding back the urge to wrap his arms around Kurt and comfort him.
'I've been thinking so much about how frustrating it is to be in a coma and not being able to talk to anyone I didn't even think that I shouldn't be here at all, that I'm lucky I still have a chance and that I found you. I should be dead.' Even though there were no tears to cry his face was still screwed up and his body racked with sobs.
'Oh Kurt.' Blaine whispered, feeling so helpless that he could do nothing to comfort him. He had never felt so bad for a ghost before. Many of them were upset to learn that they were dead and it was upsetting to watch but Kurt's realization at how close he had become felt so personal it was as though someone had punched him in the stomach.
'Kurt, it's ok, you could have died, yes, but you didn't, you're still hanging in there and there is something we can do. We can find out who did this and get you back into your body.' Blaine said making himself heard over Kurt's weeping.
'We don't even know if that'll work.' Kurt chocked out. Blaine shook his head, determined not to think about the possibility that this whole thing might not even work out. That he might never get Kurt back into his body and have someone to believe him. It was too painful to even contemplate.
'We can try.' Blaine said determinedly. 'We have to try.'
By the time the cemetery was closing Kurt had managed to calm down and follow Blaine back to the car. The drive to the lake was made in silence, with not even the radio playing.
The sombre mood was lifted a little by the time they reached the lake. The sun was just setting and the sky burned with a beautiful mixture of reds and oranges.
It was mostly deserted by the lake, despite the warm evening and Blaine wondered if the murder had left the area with a taint, making it so no one wanted to come here anymore. Blaine walked around for a moment until he found the tree from the pictures in all the news reports, the one where Thomas had been found by a lady jogging in the early morning following the murder.
Kurt had stayed in the car while he searched and Blaine thought it best to leave him alone for a while. Even though he had been in a coma for a while he had obviously only just realised how close he had been to losing everything for good.
Some people may think it was an obvious thought, but Blaine knew that death is such a monumentality huge thing some people could slip in to deep denial very easily.
He settled beneath the three and got out the book he was meant to be reading for English, but he hardly took in any of the words on the pages. There was far too much to think about, between the search for Thomas's ghost, if he was in fact even still bound to this existence, to Kurt's sudden revelation and doubt about the whole mission.
From the very beginning Kurt had been so confident that they would work this out and get him out of his coma, sure he had doubted some of the techniques but he had never once thought that they wouldn't succeed. His sudden loss in confidence shook Blaine. Had he been foolish to think that this would end up ok? Had anything ever worked out before?
He glanced around the lake as the light began to fade, taking the beauty of it all. Had this been what Thomas had seen as he died? The still water reflecting the first stars peeking out of the darkening sky, the trees swaying gently in the breeze and the few remaining birds swooping through the sky before they too settled in for the night.
There was a couple sitting on the opposite side of the lake to him, a young girl held in her boyfriend's arms as he wrapped a blanket around them, keeping the slight chill that had spread over the lake away.
Blaine felt his heart ache, as much as he longed to be normal, or for someone to believe him he wanted more than anything to have someone to hold like that. Or just to be held. To have someone to love and be loved back.
He had spent the last few years afraid of becoming too close to anyone, knowing they would leave him if they ever found out his secret and trying to protect himself from the inevitable pain that would bring.
He hadn't set up any protective walls against Kurt though and the boy had walked straight into his heart and set up camp there. Blaine had been too afraid to admit it at first but he was falling in love with Kurt.
It wasn't hard to see why. Kurt was beautiful, stunning really, and there was something to his smile that made Blaine want to always be the one who caused it. The easiness of their friendship was a main factor as well, never before had Blaine felt so compelled to share everything with someone. He had trusted Kurt not to use the information against him, something he had never felt before in his life.
'I'm sorry about earlier.' Kurt whispered, making Blaine jump. The problem with ghosts is that they didn't make any noise; it was far too easy for them to creep up.
'That's ok Kurt, I understand, it must be difficult to be in your position.' He said with a gentle smile. Kurt smiled back and settled down into the tree roots next to Blaine. Their shoulders could almost be touching.
'See anyone yet?' Kurt asked. He had scanned the area and not seen anyone but the couple cuddling across the lake, but then he hadn't been able to see his mother in the hospital, so maybe he would see Thomas either.
'No, no one yet.' Blaine sighed. Sometimes ghosts were emotionally tied to the place where they died, which is why he had thought to come here. But obviously Thomas had other ideas. If he was even still around.
They waited in silence, more comfortable then the heavy one in the car ride over, and watched as the stars came out overhead.
By the time it was fully dark the couple across the lake had left and Kurt and Blaine were truly alone. Blaine wrapped his jacket around him as the night got cooler.
The lake was silent except for the rustling trees and the occasional call of some wild animal or another. Blaine was content to stay relaxing by the tree, but Kurt was getting more and more agitated the later it got.
Finally he stood up. 'Blaine I don't think he's going to be here.' He said. 'I think we should go, you're not safe here on your own.'
The look of worry on Kurt's face was touching and Blaine took a moment before standing up.
'You're right, I think if he was going to be here he'd have shown himself by now.'
'To the arcade then?' Kurt said, relieved that Blaine wasn't arguing.
'To the arcade!' Blaine cried out, pointing in a random direction and running back to his car laughing. Kurt couldn't help but join in with the laughter, following Blaine and climbing into the car next to him.
Blaine kept his head down as he walked around the busy arcade. It was Saturday night and busy, as Blaine expected it to be.
He couldn't help but feel out of place on his own. Sure he knew he was with someone, but no one else could see Kurt, and that was a problem.
Groups of teenagers gathered around various games, cheering each other on and playing exuberantly. He remembered fondly back to the times he had gone to the arcade with his own friends, while they had still been his friends.
He scanned the crowds, searching for Thomas, trying to distinguish his blonde hair and glasses from all the other heads in the throng.
After half an hour of wandering through the whole area he was sure Thomas wasn't among them. He was also getting tired of the looks people were giving him, wandering around on his own. He headed out of the door and back to his car, sensing more than seeing that Kurt was following him.
'Well that's it then.' Kurt sighed as they got back to the car. It had been hard for him not to talk to Blaine while they were in the arcade, but he hadn't wanted to make Blaine feel any more uncomfortable about being alone in the crowds.
'Maybe Thomas didn't hang around.' Blaine shrugged. 'We can drive on tomorrow and check out Gregory Ince.'
'Yeah.' Kurt agreed, trying not to let today's failure get to him. 'Tomorrow is another day.'