Tuesday

Blaine had barely slept the night before, he had tried to get some rest but every time he closed his eyes he kept reliving his attack. His only comfort was that when he show any sign of having a nightmare, Sam would pull him closer, kiss the top of his and mutter "I've got you" and he would instantly feel safe and protected. He wanted to protect Sam too though. He knew that being forced out of the closest hasn't been easy for the blonde and after he had gotten back to school Sam had told him about the note and it broke his heart that people would continue to be so cruel to them.

He feels Sam squirm and tighten his grip and he can tell that he's waking up. Blaine rolls over just as Sam's eyes flutter open and he smiles at the beautiful face before him. "Morning handsome," Blaine says before kissing his boyfriend.

Sam smiles, "Morning, are you feeling any better? Can I do anything for you?" Sam strokes Blaine's cheek carefully.

Blaine hides the stinging feeling his ribs are giving him to maintain his smile. "My head stopped hurting and my lips don't feel swollen anymore, and you've done so much for me already, Sam, I couldn't possibly ask for anything else."

Sam is about to say something charming but his phone begins to ring. "Hold that thought." He says as he grabs his phone from the nightstand behind him.

He sees it's Finn calling and he's missed four previous calls from him. "Hey, Finn what's up?" Blaine watches as Sam's face changes to a shocked and sad expression. Quietly he says, "Thanks, I'll tell Blaine what happened…When's the funeral?" Blaine's eyes go wide and his mind immediately thinks of Burt's heart problems.

Sam hangs up the phone and he pulls Blaine into the crook of his arm. Blaine can see the pain written on Sam's face so he hides the pain in his ribs again. "Sam, what happened?!" Blaine asked with worry filling his voice.

Taking a deep breath Sam musters out, "Dave Karovsky killed himself yesterday." Blaine's eyes go wide with shock and he knows what must be going on in Sam's mind. "One of the guys on the football team borrowed his laptop and found some porn on his computer and showed it to the other guys on the team and word got out that he was gay." Sam turns and looks Blaine in the eyes. "They did the same thing to him as the kids at school did to me."

….

Sebastian is sitting in the Lima Bean parking lot when he sees Puck pulls up in his truck. Puck climbs into the passenger seat of Sebastian's car and grabs his lover and kisses him hard as tears begin to drench their faces. When they part both are panting and Sebastian takes Puck by the hand and squeezes it tightly. "Noah, talk to me. You didn't tell anyone that Dave was gay did you?" Sebastian asks as he remembers telling Puck about Karovsky trying to get into his pants at Scandals one night.

Puck shakes his head. "No, never! Not after what I did to Sam!" He bangs his fist against the side of his head trying to punish himself.

"Noah, stop it!" Sebastian yells and makes Puck look at him. "Why did you do it to Sam? I won't judge, but just tell me why."

Puck calms himself down, but a sob makes his voice crack when he first starts to speak, I did…I didn't mean to hurt Sam. I was angry at Blaine."

Sebastian feels confused. "I thought you were trying to get people off your case when your school paper said one of Quinn Fabray's exes was getting it on with guys? Why would you be mad at Blaine? Was he the one that leaked the story?"

The older boy just shakes his head. "No, Blaine was with the person that I loved and the first guy I had ever been with."

"Wait," Sebastian says feeling shocked, "You mean you and Sam?"

Puck shakes his head. "No, me and Kurt."

Sebastian's eyes go wide with surprise and he has to take a minute to think things over.

…..

When Sam walks into school with Blaine holding his hand there is an ominous sense in the air. Clinging to his boyfriend, Blaine cautiously looks around to see if anyone was going to jump out and attack them, but instead he saw people looking at them with shame in their eyes.

Will walks up to them with tears in his eyes. "I need you guys to come to the auditorium. I talked to your teachers so you're excused from class today."

They follow their teacher into the auditorium and see Emma waiting for them. When they get to the front of the stage area Emma asks Blaine and Sam to have a seat across from her. "Now boys, I know what happened with David is probably hitting the two of you harder than anyone else at this school." Emma says trying to hold back her emotions.

She turns and looks at her fiancé as he quickly wipes away a tear trying to escape as he looks at his son. She clears her throat, "Well, the reason Mr. Schuester and I have brought you here is because the school board feels like with the recent events that have happened to both of you…" She has to give herself a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry, I don't really approve of this but I'd hate for the two of you to be asked by anyone other than us."

Blaine looks at Sam who is beginning to turn pale and so he squeezes his boyfriend's hand before turning back to Emma who wants to cry as she tries to look past the dark bruise around his left eye. "Ms. Pillsbury, what are they wanting you to ask us?" Blaine asks, his voice is hoarse from all the screaming and crying he had done last night.

She looks at him and says, "They want the two of you to speak to the students at a special assembly today and describe the things that have happened to you. And, Sam," she turns to the blond, "they want you to talk about your suicide attempt and how the things that happened to you and to David made you decide to do what you did."

Sam can barely breath, but he calms when he feels Will place his hand on his shoulder. He turns and looks at the man, tears are pouring from his eyes, yet he remains stoic and calm. Something in his eyes tells Sam that no matter how painful this may be, in the end it's the right thing to do. "How detailed would I have to go?" asks quietly.

Will speaks before Emma can. "Sam, you don't have to do this." He turns to Blaine, "Neither of you have to do this."

Emma blinks and refocuses on the boys. "He's right," she says in her usual counselor tone. "Neither of you have to do this and I honestly believe that it could have adverse effects on both of you. But, the school for some reason believes that the two of you may be able to get through to everyone. So, we're going to let you decide on this."

Blaine looks at Sam and can see the wheels turning in his mind. "Sam?"

Sam looks around at the three people in the room and says, "I'll do it."

…

Sebastian pulls his car up to the front of McKinley high. Noah Puckerman is still sitting in his passenger seat. His emotional state had Sebastian worried enough to make the older teen let the Warbler take him to school. "I still can't believe it," Sebastian says looking at Puck's phone. A photo of him and Kurt kissing is been pulled up.

"We were in love. He was going to break up with Blaine after we won Sectionals. He was going to do it after their dinner with some of the others from glee club. I was waiting at our spot." Noah wipes his eyes and sniffles, "Other than you he's the only other man I've ever been with or wanted." He says looking into Sebastian's eyes.

The Warbler captain takes his lover by the hand and puts the car in park. "I'm going with you for this. You shouldn't be alone when you do this, Noah." Sebastian felt his heart ache inside his chest as he thinks about the decision Noah has made.

Puck leans forward and kisses Sebastian softly. "I really want to say something stupid right now, but I don't know what you and I are anymore?"

Sebastian flashes his signature grin, "You're mine, and I'm yours." A week ago he wouldn't have ever felt like this, but something happened to the young Warbler, something that changed the way he saw things, especially Puck.

Puck smiled and for the first time that day he felt his heart become steady and the noise that clouded his mind began to quiet. "You don't have to go with me, babe."

Sebastian cocks his brow, giving his boyfriend a look. "Uh, yeah I do. I'm not leaving my first real boyfriend alone to face a firing squad. Now come on, you're late and I need some kind of visitor's pass."

Puck smiles and takes his new boyfriend into the office to talk to Figgins about letting Sebastian audit McKinley for the day. Figgins agreed, but warned the boys that today was going to be a heavily emotional day for everyone. Sebastian nodded and said he understood and that he knew Dave Karovsky. With a smile Figgins sent out an email to all of Puck's teachers letting them know that Sebastian would be joining them.

….

Just after the third period bell rang Figgins announces for all students and faculty members to go to the gym at once. Inside the students file in and take their seats. They all know what the assembly is about, at least they think they do.

Puck sits nervously next to his boyfriend, when he sees Finn and Rachel walking over towards him. "Dude, what the hell!?" Finn says feeling stunned that Sebastian was sitting in on the assembly, but even more so that Puck was hanging out with him.

"Seriously, Noah," Rachel says resting her hands on her hips and giving him her best angry Santana-like stare. "Why would you hang out with the person that nearly blinded Blaine?!"

Puck hangs his head in shame and Sebastian takes up for him. "Leave him alone you little Barbara wannabe. He and I are friends, and both Sam and Blaine have forgiven me for what I did, and believe me I will regret it for the rest of my life, but leave Noah out of this! He doesn't deserve it!"

Rachel and Finn are left speechless and walk away so as not to say something they would regret.

Sebastian sits down and they look up in time to see Blaine step up to the microphone. His face is battered and bruised, but underneath is still the same charming, handsome young man. The only thing new is the feeling of anger and disappointment radiating off of him. Blaine opens his mouth and begins to speak. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves." The entire room becomes silent.

Blaine scans the crowd and sees the faces of children who know they've done wrong and are willing to accept whatever punishment they have earned. His mind wipes the beautiful speech from his mind and only a few simple, yet powerful words are uttered from his lips, "You should all be ashamed of yourselves."

The dark haired boy turns and begins to walk off as Sam step to speak. Blaine grabs his boyfriend's hand and whispers. "You've got this. I believe in you."

Sam sighs when he reaches the mic stand. He clears his mind and begins to speak. "A few months ago almost the exact same thing happened to me that happened to Dave Karovsky. I was outed by someone from my school and the people sitting in the stands before me watched and laughed, or they made a crude joke at the fact that my whole world was ripped out from under me."

He grits his teeth and doesn't break eye contact with the audience. "The word fag was written on both mine and Dave's lockers. I was told as he was trying to leave people were mocking him and shoving him. I ran before any of you could shove me, but the mocking I remember." He looks at a boy in the audience who he recognizes from the football team. "The football team is supposed to lead the school, but instead it's full of cowards, just like the ones at Dave's school. You think that just because someone is gay or bisexual, or just different, that it gives you the right to treat them like garbage."

He takes a deep breath. "But it doesn't. It makes you small minded, insignificant little jerks that destroy the lives of good people. The sad thing is, is it's because most of you are too scared that being friends with a gay kid or an unpopular kid will ruin your reputation, or make it seem like you're gay too or weird or stupid."

Sam looks at Will who gives him a supportive smile and he continues on. "I hope to God one day you all look back on high school and realize that if you had spoken up, or been nicer to someone, that Dave Karovsky might still be alive. That I might not have tried to commit suicide, or what if you are the person that pushes the other button. The button that tells them that they're not the problem, you are and then they turn the gun on you and your friends. How would you feel if you were the person that caused a school shooting because you didn't like someone's clothes or the person they were dating? I hope it never happens, which is why I'm happy to announce that effective immediately, McKinley high now has a zero tolerance harassment policy. That means that if you make fun of someone to the point that it's not joking around, you will be expelled, plain and simple."

"I just have one last thing to say." Sam says as he begins to wrap up his speech, "To the person that sent the photo of me out to the school, I just want you to know, that no matter how much pain you caused me and the people that I love." He glances over at Blaine. "Blaine, especially." He looks at the crowd hoping to pinpoint the person responsible. "I just want you to know that I forgive you, and with that I end my speech and I let go of the anger and pain you gave me. Now I've been asked to inform everyone that there will be grief counselors available throughout the week at any time you need to talk. Whether it's about Dave Karovsky, or you want to get something off your chest, talk to someone before it's too late." Sam turns and walks off the small stage area and sits next to Blaine who hugs him tightly.

Puck is crying and stands up as Figgins is about to dismiss the students back to class. "WAIT!" He yells and everyone turns towards him. "I'd like to say something!" He looks at Figgins and is granted his request with an approving nod.

When he gets to the microphone Figgins covers it and whispers, "This better not be a prank, Mr. Puckerman."

Puck shakes his head. "It's not I swear. I just have to do this."

He grabs the mic and he looks at Sebastian who gives him a nervous smile, but he knows he has to do this. "My name's Noah Puckerman." His voice is shaky as he speaks, "I uh…I guess most of you know who I am. I haven't always been a good person and a while back I became the worst version of myself." He turns directly to Sam and Blane. "Sam, I…I'm the one that sent out the photo. I..I didn't tag your locker or anything like that, but I was angry and you didn't deserve this." Sam squeezes Blaine's hand tightly as his heart shatters and the entire gym gasps in surprise.

He turns back to the crowd and he can see his friends all giving him death stares. He sees Will writhing with rage in his chair. "I did it because I was scared. I was scared of people finding out that..well I'm gay." Again the entire room gasps and Blaine looks over at Sam who's mouth is now gaping open. "The school paper was talking about me, but I threw Sam under the bus because I wanted to hurt Blaine."

Blaine can feel his anger boiling to the surface, but Sam keeps him grounded, wanting to hear the rest of the story.

"You see," Puck says trying to stop his body from trembling. "I was in love with Blaine's previous boyfriend, Kurt. And," He looks at Blaine this time." Blaine I'm sorry, dude but you need to know that Kurt and I were in love and …at least I think he loved me. He was the first guy I was ever with and …you guys," Tears a pouring down his face now, "I am so, freaking sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry. I'm s…sorry."

Blaine feels Sam let go of him and he and everyone else watch as Sam walks up to the boy he once knew as a friend and he stands there looking him in the eyes. Puck closes his eyes and prepares himself to meet Sam's fist, but instead he feels Sam's arms wrap around him and hold him tightly.

Sam whispers into his ear, "I meant what I said. I forgive you. But," he pulls back for a second, "Blaine and our friends are an entirely different story."

…..

A/N: OK So I was originally going to have this be split into parts in the Regionals arc, but this ended up being one of those times when I'm writing and pieces that I was going to hold off on, end up getting used because they better fit the moment. Plus I wanted to end this chapter with somewhat of a cliffhanger. Hope you all enjoyed it. Also thanks to those who have continuously reviewed. You know who you are and I appreciate it more than you know.