Cruel Summer Chapter 22 - I Will Carry You

Word Count: 6,973/189,000

Rating: PG-13

Summary: After Kurt was rejected from NYADA, we were dying to find out what happened next. We couldn't wait for the September premiere. Here is our take of what happened from the letter opening and beyond.

Author's Note: Happy Friday! Well guys, this marks the very first chapter where I am completely on my own. That includes no beta as Wayne is away for a bit. However, I took two years of business English, so I think I’ll be fine. I sure do miss my teammates, though! Not much to say about this chapter, especially since the drama fest of the last one. Writing this story is keeping me from going hiatus insane, really. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimers: KurtsieKalanai doesn’t own Glee. If I did, I’d be touring with the cast this summer. Second, I don’t own the songs in the fic. I use songs like the show but they fit into the story. Songs will be explained at the end of chapter. Third, this is AU so things do not work EXACTLY like canon.

Thanks: Even though he is away this chapter, thanks to the wonderful Wayne Kotke and Gleekast. Seriously, people, go listen to the podcast. They rock! As usual thanks to cast, crew, RIB, Chris, Darren my cat, the birds outside….just kidding. :P Also, thanks to my loyal readers. Love you all!

*****

Kurt was starting to get worried. A few hours had passed, and he still hadn't heard from Blaine. He spent his time efficiently by completely organizing his closet with Rachel and Sam’s help, and he even got dressed in some of his old clothes. They felt a little alien to him now, like they didn’t belong to him. Maybe the clothes felt like some sort of costume, like he was getting ready for a masquerade ball. But he had to look good for his date, and this was his only option for now.

It was a very simple outfit, especially considering some of the crazy things he used to wear. It really was a bridge of his old and new look. Understated and uncomplicated yet trendy and stylish. He had some black leather pants that he hadn’t worn in a while and added a simple white shirt and black tie. He didn’t feel like doing anything crazy with his hair, so he made sure it stayed in place with a little bit of gel – no spikes this time – and added a fedora for some flair. He let just a tiny bit of fashionista Kurt shine through. Just a little bit, though. The last thing he wanted to do was go back to what he would forever call “The Old Kurt.”

Rachel came in the room carrying some of Kurt’s belongings from the basement. This was the stuff he didn’t destroy, but planned on throwing out, like pictures, certificates, and some stuffed animals from his childhood that he couldn’t bear to get rid of until his first meltdown. “Hey, Kurt, look what I found! We can start decorating your room again!” she said and put the box down on the bed. She saw Kurt looking at himself in the mirror and exclaimed, “Look at you, hot stuff! Big date tonight?”

“You know that Blaine is taking me out! I’ve only told you about 27 times!” Kurt exaggerated, turning to Rachel and smiling. “This feels so weird. I feel totally overdressed. I miss my jeans,” he whined and sat on the bed heavily. “I’m totally pathetic, aren’t I?”

“Of course not!” Rachel responded mischievously. “Not totally pathetic. Just a little bit pathetic,” she added with a smirk, holding her thumb and index finger in front of her face about an inch apart.

“Rachel!” Kurt exclaimed and gave her a withering look. “You can be such a bitch sometimes!”

“I’m teasing!” Rachel said, putting her hands up in surrender. “Sheesh, Kurt. You’re a bit cranky today. Is it that time of the month?”

Kurt realized with a frown that he wasn’t being fair to his best friend. “Sorry, Rach. My mind is a bit preoccupied,” he said as he pulled out his phone. He checked for messages. Nothing. The only thing he got all day was a text from Santana asking if he was free the next day for a mall date. Unfortunately, since he had to work at the shop at the crack of dawn, the date would have to wait until the following evening.

He sighed and stuffed his phone back in his pocket, which was difficult because of the leather pants. “These are too damn tight,” Kurt thought to himself. “How did I wear stuff like this?”

“What’s on your mind?” Rachel asked, sitting on the bed beside Kurt.

“Have you heard from Blaine? He’s usually so prompt in texting me back. I’ve tried calling him and texting him, and I still haven’t gotten an answer. It’s been hours since his last text,” Kurt explained and checked the time on his phone. “There’s something else. I’m having a really creepy bad feeling about things, like something happened to him. I hope he didn’t change his mind about me.”

“Stop being so insecure! I guarantee he hasn’t changed his mind,” Rachel said as she took her phone out to check her messages and shook her head. “Sorry, nothing from Blaine. Want me to try calling him?” 

“No sense,” Kurt responded as he stood up and walked to the window. It was still raining pretty hard, but the thunder and lightning had stopped. “I hope he didn’t get into an accident in the storm. I just can’t shake this feeling of foreboding.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Rachel assured as she joined Kurt at the window. She put her hand on Kurt’s back and noticed he was shaking. “Kurt, are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. I’m scared and I’m starting to freak out a little,” Kurt said, his voice starting to crack. “I know it’s irrational, but Rachel, something has happened to him.” 

Rachel looked at Kurt and saw the panic in his eyes. She put her arms around him and said, “Come on, Kurt. Calm down. Please?” He put his arms around her tightly, put his head on her shoulder and tried to stay calm. 

“Why do I feel like I’m losing my mind?” he asked desperately.

Rachel didn’t understand why Kurt was acting this way, but she knew he wasn’t crazy. If he felt something was wrong, then something was definitely wrong. “I wish I could tell you,” she said and pulled away. “Maybe you should talk to your dad about it.”

“Maybe,” Kurt said distractedly. “There’s a reason I think something happened to Blaine, but I can’t say anything and it’s killing me.” He couldn’t tell Rachel what he thought it was. It wasn’t his secret to tell. All of a sudden, he knew exactly what was wrong. Blaine was in big trouble!

“Kurt, is Blaine in any danger?” Rachel asked, starting to empathize with Kurt’s distress. “He told me there was some bad stuff going on at home, but he didn’t say what exactly.” She was starting to panic a bit, feeding off of Kurt’s aggravated state.

“I don’t know!” Kurt said frantically and started to pace. He stopped and took a couple deep breaths to calm down. “Maybe I should talk to Dad. Besides, I need to talk to him about our fight earlier. I’m still a little pissed off at him,” he added and took off his fedora, putting it on his dresser. “I also know he’s right, which pisses me off even more. I need to be an adult and talk to him rationally. He needs to see why I acted out; that I wasn’t being a brat.”

“That’s a really good idea. I can talk to him if you want me to. I saw what happened to you. I can be, you know, like a character witness!” Rachel offered. At least Kurt’s shaking had stopped, but he had wide eyes and still looked upset. 

“I’m not on trial! I can talk to Dad myself, but thanks, sweetie,” Kurt said sincerely. 

“I’m going down to help Carole make dinner for tonight. I’m in charge of the vegetarian side dish!” Rachel said proudly. “I’m thinking a nice vegetable medley.”

Kurt knew that Rachel couldn’t cook to save her life. She had almost set her kitchen on fire several times to Kurt and Blaine’s amusement. It was just easier to either get take-out when they were hanging, or have Kurt or Blaine cook. He made a mental note to avoid any vegetarian dish that might be served. If he could get in touch with Blaine, they would probably go out anyway. “Thanks for letting me vent,” he said and forced a smile. “I’ll come help when I finish talking to Dad.”

Rachel put her hand on Kurt’s arm and said, “Don’t worry, Kurt. Everything is going to be fine. He probably just got delayed, or maybe his mom gave him more stuff to do.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Kurt said, realizing he was being silly. He still couldn’t shake the wiggins he was feeling, but he had stuff to do, and worrying just wasn’t productive. If Blaine didn’t call by dinnertime, he would tell his dad.

He followed Rachel downstairs and found his dad still watching the game with the boys. Or watching another game, Kurt wasn’t sure. Even though he was the new-and-improved Kurt, he still didn’t care for sports. He found it slightly barbaric, but he didn’t begrudge the men in the family some male bonding time. At least video games weren’t real.

Kurt walked up to Burt, who was sitting in his easy chair, and asked quietly, “Hey, Dad, can we go out back and chat? Or should I come back after the game?” 

Burt looked up to his son and responded, “Nah, that’s fine. Our team is getting slaughtered anyhow. It’s all but over.” He stood up and observed, “I see you have some of your old clothes on. Decide to change back? Kurt, you’re confusing the hell out of me here.”

“I have a date with Blaine. Well, I’m supposed to have a date, but I haven’t heard from him.” Kurt didn’t want to talk in front of everyone again so he added, “Let’s just talk out back on the porch, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Burt answered. “Guys, I’ll be back in a bit. Keep an eye on the score for me, will ya?” he said to the boys watching the game. 

Finn looked back and nodded. He then looked at Kurt as if to say, “I’m there for you, dude.”

Carole and Rachel were in the kitchen, having some tea and avoiding the game, talking about possibly doing an evening shopping trip with or without Kurt, depending on his plans. When Rachel saw her best friend enter the room, her face lit up as she asked, “Kurt! Are you okay?”

“Rachel, you worry too much! I’m fine,” he said as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Just going to go have a chat with Dad.” He looked at his father. “Do you want a beer or something?”

“I’m good,” Burt grumbled. His doctor had advised him not to drink more than a can or two of beer a day, and he had already hit that limit while watching the game. Kurt shrugged and followed Burt outside. They both took a chair and Burt continued, “You know you didn’t have to stay in your room. I told you that you weren’t grounded.”

“I know,” Kurt responded, looking at the large maple tree in the backyard. “I guess I just wanted to think about what you said. I also wanted to calm down so we could have an adult conversation without all that immature screaming. Dad, I’ve been pretty messed up lately, and I don’t like it.”

“Kurt, what exactly happened this week?” Burt asked and squeezed his son’s arm gently. “I’m not going to lie when I say I was ready to kick your ass when I first saw that video at the bar. Then your mom told me you trashed your room and threw out your belongings? This isn’t like you at all!”

Kurt shook his head, ashamed that he had upset his father, “I’m still trying to figure everything out. I don’t know. I got the rejection letter and I just… snapped. All I thought about was being stuck in Lima and having to live my life as someone I wasn’t. I figured if I had to stay here, I would change myself so I would fit in. I didn’t really see any other option. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Oh, Kurt…” Burt said, looking at Kurt with sad eyes.

“I realize I’m a dumbass,” Kurt interrupted. “I know Lima is good for you, but I don’t belong here, Dad! I never have!” Burt just nodded in agreement. “Have you ever had the feeling that you just HAD to try something, to see if that was what you were searching for?”

“I have,” Burt said simply.

“Really?” Kurt asked.

“You know that I love Elizabeth with all my heart, right?” Burt asked. Kurt nodded so he continued, “When I first met Carole, I was terrified to ask her out. I was scared I would hurt you, or I would lose her, too. But something inside told me to go for it, you know?”

“I completely understand, Dad. You were scared of insulting Mom’s memory. Elizabeth, I mean. But I’m so glad you went for it, because if you didn’t we wouldn’t have this awesome new family,” Kurt explained. Burt looked at his son and gave a nod, tears forming in his eyes. “Look, I know I’ve been an asshole, but I just want you to know that it’s all over now. I’ve had my week of rebellion, which sucked by the way, and I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I hurt everyone. Poor Blaine…” His voice trailed off and he got lost in his thoughts.

“Kurt, I know things are really confusing right now. And I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you out. I promise we’ll figure this out, as a family. Will you forgive me for going off the deep end? I should have found out some more information before I went all tough love with you,” Burt asked, grabbing Kurt’s hand. He wasn’t usually all touchy-feely, but with his son he didn’t mind at all.

“As long as you can forgive me for messing up my room. I promise I’ll pay for any repairs,” Kurt assured. “And I don’t mind selling the SUV. Besides, if I go to New York, owning a car would be too expensive anyway. Have you seen parking rates in that city??” His father laughed and Kurt continued, “You were right when you said it was time for me to be an adult. I might slip from time to time, but I’m sure you’ll remind me and put me on the right path.”

“Bud, I can’t tell you what to do anymore. That part of my life is over. But I can be there to support you and give advice when you ask it. All I request is that you don’t lose who you really are. It’s fine to change your clothes, but just don’t lose the real Kurt. We all love you for who you are, and if people judge you for that, then screw ‘em!”

“So are we good?” Kurt asked, standing up and feeling much better now that he had this heart to heart with his father.

“We were never bad, Kurt,” Burt responded. “I promise you, I do what I do because I love you. It might look like I’m punishing you right now, but you’ll look back and thank me. My dad didn’t really care about what I did, and I had to learn everything by myself. I don’t want to do that with you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Kurt said with a smile. He gave Burt a tight hug. “I promise I’ll make you proud, even if it’s changing oil every day.”

“Well, you prove yourself, and I’ll put you in the office with Blaine this summer,” Burt offered. “I know working sucks, but you’re going to love all the extra money you have, even though you need to budget a bit of it.”

“Losing that credit card is the only thing that might kill me,” Kurt said half-jokingly.

“If you promise to pay back every cent you spent this past week, I’ll get you another card to hold you over till you get your own, okay?” Burt said. “But I’m putting a limit on it, and if I see you’re using it irresponsibly, I’ll take it away for good.”

“That’s more than fair, Dad. You better get back to that game,” Kurt said, playing with his tie nervously. “Maybe the kicker saved the game!” Kurt remembered his very short time as a kicker on the McKinley Titans in sophomore year, but could barely remember the rules of football. Something about sacking the scrimmage or something like that. All he had to worry about was kicking the ball over the pole thingies so he didn’t care about the rest of it. Besides, he only auditioned for the football team for his dad.

“Not all kickers are like the one and only Kurt Hummel,” Burt teased. He was so proud of his son when Kurt scored the winning point for a usually losing football team. “Why don’t you come join us? I know football’s not your thing, but we were thinking of going out for a burger after. Dinner isn’t for a few more hours.”

They went back inside and found Rachel and Carole prepping the evening meal and talking happily about anything and everything. Rachel was mostly talking about New York (when wasn’t she?) and Carole was listening politely. Kurt kissed both ladies on the cheek and walked with his father to the hallway.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to pass this time,” Kurt responded. He leaned in and whispered. “I have to keep Rachel from ruining the veggies for dinner. You’ll thank me later, trust me.”

“Did you want me to make you some toast or something?” Burt asked.

Kurt stopped walking and stared at his father while inquiring, “Dad, how come you always offer to make me toast after we have those uncomfortable talks?”

Burt shrugged and answered, “That’s what Dad used to do for me. It is kinda weird, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. I appreciate the offer, though,” Kurt said and chuckled while he shook his head.

“Well, maybe next time,” Burt said, laughing. “Have fun.”

“Thanks,” Kurt said and returned to the kitchen and put on an apron. He moved to the counter, picked up a knife and ordered, “Okay ladies, move over and let the expert cook.”

“Oh, please! All you can cook is soufflés and cupcakes,” Rachel teased. She knew Kurt was a whiz in the kitchen, but she wanted to cheer him up by ribbing him. He was the only one who understood her weird sense of humor. Well, maybe Blaine appreciated it now, who knew?

Kurt stopped what he was doing, slowly turned to Rachel and put his hands on his hips. Other than the black hair, this was the closest Kurt looked to his old self in almost a week. “Rachel Berry, are you issuing a cooking challenge? ‘Cause we all know I would mop the floor with you!” he exclaimed with a wicked smile.

“Yes, yes you would,” Rachel said simply. She knew exactly who the Iron Chef around here was.

Kurt laughed and started cutting up the vegetables for dinner. However, in the back of his mind, he still had an unnerving feeling about things. It scared him as he had never had feelings like this before. “Is this what being psychic was like? No, it couldn’t be anything like that! Psychics were all smoke and mirrors, after all,” he mused to himself. He chopped in silence while the ladies talked some more about New York.

After a few minutes he couldn’t take this feeling of doom anymore and asked, “Will you guys excuse me? I need to go talk to Dad for a minute.” He took off his apron and went back into the living room. The game had just finished and the three men were about to leave for burgers.

“Dad, can I talk to you for a minute before you leave?” Kurt asked. Burt nodded and went into the hall, waving Sam and Finn to the car to wait for him.

“Kurt, are you okay? You look paler than usual,” Burt inquired, putting his hand on Kurt’s shoulder.

“Okay, I’m supposed to be an adult, right? Is asking for help an adult thing to do?” Kurt asked nervously.

“That’s one of the most adult things to do, son,” Burt explained. “Sometimes you can’t solve a problem, so you need to ask for help. That’s being responsible.”

“Then I’m asking for help. Well, advice really. I’m worried about Blaine. He texted me a few hours ago then never texted me again after I asked him something. You know how enthusiastic he is about responding to texts immediately. About an hour ago, I got a really, really bad feeling that something happened,” Kurt said, starting to panic again. “I always thought I was a pretty sane guy, but this is starting to freak me out.”

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon. Is there a reason you’re so worried about him?” Burt asked with concern for his son. Kurt looked scared to death. Although he could be a bit of a drama queen, he had a pretty stable head on his shoulders. Well, until recently, at least.

Kurt put his hand through his short hair as he exclaimed, “God, why is this so hard? I promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone. But Blaine might get hurt. Dad, what do I do?” He started shaking again, this time with fear and indecision.

Burt put his hand on Kurt’s arms and gave a gentle shake because his son was starting to get frantic. “Kurt, who’s going to hurt Blaine? Sometimes you might promise to keep a secret, then have to tell it to someone you trust to help them. Can you tell me?”

“This goes completely against my better judgement, but I guess I have to,” Kurt conceded. “It’s his dad. He…” He was interrupted by his phone vibrating. “Oh, thank god. That might be Blaine,” he added, pulling the phone out of his pocket. He opened the message.

Help…Dad…it hurts.

Kurt put his hand to his mouth and sat down on the floor. “No!” he shouted and started to cry. “This can’t be happening! Blaine! My dear, sweet Blaine!!” 

Burt kneeled down to his distraught son, and Rachel and Carole joined them in the hall. Rachel ran to her best friend and sat on the floor, holding him and trying to calm him down. 

“Kurt, what is it? Let me help you,” Burt offered. Kurt passed the phone up to his father and put his arms around Rachel, sobbing. Rachel looked at the two adults with worry.

Burt read the message and his face switched from concern to extreme anger and passed the phone to Carole. She read the message and looked anxious as she passed back the phone to her husband. “Kurt, you need to calm down and tell me what’s going on right now. I think I have to insist,” he said. “If Blaine is in danger, I need to know so I can help.”

“Why would somebody’s father do that?” Kurt sobbed. “Blaine is his own son! His flesh and blood! God, I want to kill him!” Rachel stood up and helped Kurt to his feet. “We need to find him, now!”

“Kurt, we will. You just need to tell me what’s going on,” Burt said, getting frustrated because Kurt wasn’t making any sense.

Finn and Sam came back into the house because they could hear Kurt yelling. After seeing his brother losing it again, Finn walked over to where they were standing and asked, “Dude, are you alright? I could hear you outside.”

“Blaine’s dad beats him! And I don’t mean spanking beatings. I mean whipping beatings, and I think he’s done worse!” Kurt cried. “I think this one was really bad. Blaine would’ve texted me otherwise.” He reached for his phone and his father passed it back. He tried calling but there was no answer. “He’s not picking up! I need to get over there right now.” 

Kurt turned to Burt and said, “Look, Dad, I know you’re trying to teach me a lesson, and believe me, the lesson is learned, but I need my licence back. ‘Cause I’m taking the SUV, licence or not.”

Burt reached back for his wallet, pulled out Kurt’s licence and passed it back to his son. “Thank you for telling me,” he said. His eyes hardened as he added, “You won’t need to kill Blaine’s father, because I will!” 

Burt put his arm around Kurt’s shoulders and promised, “We’ll find him.” He looked at his family members in turn, giving them instructions. “Finn and Sam, can you stay here and call everyone to stand by in case we need to search? Kurt and I will go to the Anderson’s to see if he’s there. Carole, can you get the place ready for a crowd?” All three nodded and went to their assigned tasks.

Rachel spoke up, feeling a bit left out. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go with you gentlemen. Kurt needs someone for moral support, and Blaine is my best friend. I couldn’t bear waiting here wondering what’s going on,” she informed. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Thanks, Rach,” Kurt whispered. “Okay, let’s go. I’ll drive since I know where Blaine lives.” He grabbed Rachel’s hand and rushed out into the rain to his SUV. Burt followed with an umbrella.

As they got in the car, Rachel asked from the back seat, “Kurt, why didn’t you tell me? We might have been able to help him!” She didn’t understand why Kurt would have kept something so major from her.

“It’s called keeping a secret for a reason!” Kurt snapped. He shook his head and apologized, “Sorry again, Rach. I don’t mean to treat you like an emotional punching bag. I’m just really scared and worried for Blaine. I can’t lose him.” He wiped his eyes. “Thanks for being there for me, both of you.”

“I assure you, Kurt, Blaine’s father is not going to get away with this,” Burt growled. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he’s punished.”

“It’s okay. Let’s just get to Blaine’s house,” Rachel said, putting her hand on Kurt’s shoulder from behind and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Why do I feel like I’ve spent most of this week either running away or chasing people in this car?” Kurt asked, trying to distract himself.

On the way to Blaine’s house, Kurt didn’t talk. He was trying to keep his temper in check. He noted with a bitter chuckle that he inherited his father’s temper after all. He was also mentally kicking himself for not talking to anyone about Blaine’s issues before. But he promised Blaine he wouldn’t, and he took his promises very seriously. Well, that promise just might make him lose his soulmate forever. If they were too late, Blaine wasn’t coming back... ever. That was something Kurt refused to fathom.

When they got to Blaine’s expansive house, Kurt was dismayed to see that all the lights were out, except for the front door, and there were no cars in the driveway. Kurt got out of the car and ran to the large double entrance, with Burt and Rachel rushing behind. He rang the bell and pounded on the door. Any sense of propriety had disappeared because he was beyond pissed. He was going to hurt Mr. Anderson, consequences be damned. He checked the knob to see it was firmly locked. They stood under an overhang, so the rain didn’t get them very wet. Water still dripped from the eaves, though, falling in their eyes.

“Shit!” Kurt shouted, kicking the door. “Nobody’s home. Blaine usually parks his car in the driveway.” He was about to wipe the rain from his eyes when he noticed something dark on the palm of his hand. He looked at the discoloration under the light and gave a gasp. “Oh my god! This is blood! Dad, he was bleeding!” He looked at his father with panicked eyes. He wiped his hands on his pants and started pacing.

Suddenly he sat on the front stair and put his head in his hands. “That’s it. I can’t take this anymore. This week has been too much,” he sobbed. “I’m trying to be strong, but I just can’t do it. I’ve lost just about everything that has ever meant anything to me.” 

Rachel sat down beside him and grabbed his hand. “Come on, Kurt. We’ll find him.”

“You’re damn right we will,” Burt said and pulled out his phone. “Kurt and Rachel, you wait there. I’m calling the police.”

Kurt continued sobbing as he hiccupped, “I lost NYADA, I lost New Directions, I lost my parents to Washington, I lost my identity, I’m losing you and Finn to New York and now I might be losing Blaine. I think the only thing that’s left to lose is my sanity. Even that feels like it’s starting to slip away.”

“It’s killing me that I don’t know what to say,” Rachel said, trying to soothe Kurt. “Maybe it’s because I’m freaking out, too. This is our Blainers we’re talking about! I never thought I’d see something like this happen to any of our friends.” She turned to Kurt and said, “There’s this song that Daddy used to sing to me when I was really upset. Can I sing it to you? It’ll make me feel better about this whole big mess.”

“I love you, Rachel, but not every situation calls for sing along time with New Directions featuring Rachel Berry,” Kurt said sarcastically, wiping at his eyes. He sighed as he added, “But if you insist, I won’t protest. You know how much I love a Rachel Berry song.”

Rachel smiled at Kurt, not because he paid her a compliment, but because they understood each other so completely. Singing made them both feel better. It was as simple as that. This was the way they were able to cope with the three years of hell at McKinley. 

As Kurt was wringing his hands, trying to keep his cool, Rachel sang:

“Yeah, I know it hurts. Yeah, I know you're scared.
Walking down the road that leads to who-knows-where.
Don't'cha hang your head. Don't'cha give up yet.
When courage starts to disappear I will be right here.”

“When your world breaks down.
And the voices tell you, "Turn around."
When your dreams give out I will carry you, carry you.
When the stars go blind.
And the darkness starts to flood your eyes.
When you're fallin' behind I will carry you.”

If Kurt couldn’t be strong, then Rachel would have to be strong for him. Kurt looked at Rachel, his anger and worry fading. His eyes were shining, but he wasn’t crying anymore. He stood up and put his hand down to help Rachel stand up. He knew this song. It was one of his guilty pleasures to listen to old American Idol contestants, so he had a playlist full of songs by Clay Aiken when he was wanted some easy listening. Although his voice was shaky, he sang the next verse:

“Everybody cries. Everybody bleeds.
No one ever said that life's an easy thing.
That's the beauty of it when you lose your way.
Close your eyes and go to sleep.
Wake up to another day.”

Rachel smiled, pleased that Kurt knew the song. It really helped her when she was down during her separation from Finn in junior year. She also noticed the singing was distracting Kurt, and he was starting to visibly calm down. They started walking to the car in the rain, singing the last chorus together:

“When your world breaks down.
And the voices tell you, "Turn around."
When your dreams give out I will carry you, carry you.
When the stars go blind.
And the darkness starts to flood your eyes.
When you're fallin' behind I will carry you.”

When they got to the car, Rachel turned to Kurt and took the last bridge of the song:

“You should know now that you're not alone.
Take my heart and we will find, you will find,
Your way home!”

“How do you do it, Rachel?” Kurt asked, opening the back door to the SUV.

“Do what?” Rachel inquired.

“When I’m in the depths of despair, without any hope at all, you can make me feel better with that angelic voice of yours?” he responded. “I’m still scared to death, but I feel calmer.”

“Kurt, that has to be the nicest thing you have ever said to me!” Rachel said, smiling through her tears. She gave Kurt a tight hug before she got in the car and he closed the door. He went to the driver’s side and got in beside his father, who was just getting off the phone.

“That was your mother. They called as many of your friends they could and they’re all going to go out to look for Blaine. Will and Emma will be meeting us back at the house,” Burt informed. “I’m just about to call the police. We’ll find Blaine, and when I get a hold of Mr. Anderson I’m going to throttle him!”

“Let’s just go home, Dad,” Kurt said quietly. All of the fight had been taken out of him. He just wanted to be surrounded by the people he loved, but he wouldn’t rest until he found his boyfriend.

Burt made a quick call to the police and explained the situation, promising to call again when he had more information. They drove back to the house with Kurt and Rachel making small talk, trying to get their minds off the situation. Burt, however, was stewing in his silence. He was trying to make sense of everything. He knew physical abuse happened, but he would never understand how a parent could beat his kid like that. There was nothing that Kurt or Finn might do that would make Burt hit his sons in anger. 

Burt was also trying to plan his next move. He had to be careful, because everything he did was watched by the public. Unfortunately, a congressman’s life was no longer private. He had to do this legally, and that meant keeping his temper in check.

*******

Santana was distracted. She was driving home from Brittany’s and was still pondering the direction her life was taking. She really appreciated the conversation she had with Kurt the night before, and she was looking forward another shopping date with him. At least she had a month or two to make a concrete decision. In the meantime, she was going to try to enjoy the summer with her friends. Maybe she would ask Kurt about that part-time job. A little extra money was always a good thing. She would use the funds to grow her sizable savings account.

Even though it was raining, Santana enjoyed driving. What she loved more was blasting her music on her stereo and singing along as loud as she could while driving alone. She could just let go and not worry about what anyone thought of her voice. She knew she was hot stuff – that was common knowledge, really – but a little part of her was insecure about her singing. She didn’t have flawless pipes like Rachel did. 

A text message came through on her phone, but she couldn’t answer because she was driving. The last thing she needed was a lecture from Quinn “Little Miss Perfect” Fabray.

As she drove, she came upon a car on the side of the road which looked really familiar. It was Blaine’s BMW. “What’s broccoli-head doing parked at the side of the road?” Santana asked herself. “Did he break down?”

She made sure there was no one following closely behind her and pulled off the road. She could see that Blaine’s hazard blinkers were on, so she figured he ran out of gas or got a flat and was waiting in the car because of the rain. She got out of her car and walked up to Blaine’s vehicle, getting ready to give her friend a sarcastic remark about making sure to gas up. She knocked on the window and looked in. She cursed when she saw Blaine lying back with his eyes closed and blood all over his face.

She opened the door and cried, “Oh my god. Blaine! Wake up! Come on…please wake up?” She checked his pulse and chest. He was breathing, and his heart rate was steady but pretty weak. He looked like he was beat up, and badly. 

“I need to call Kurt,” she told herself as she ran back to her car to grab her phone. She ran back to Blaine’s car, let herself in the passenger side and grabbed Blaine, holding him to her chest. “Please be okay, Anderson. Please be okay. I’m getting help, honey.” Tears were streaming down her face. She dialed Kurt’s number and waited.

*****

Kurt arrived home feeling worn out. He was so done with everything. He just wanted to crawl into bed and pass out, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He had to help search for Blaine, and there was talking to police and everything else. “Being an adult sucks!” he thought to himself unhappily. It was becoming his mantra.

As soon as he entered the house, Finn approached him and explained, “We called everyone and they’re out looking for Blaine. Sam and I are heading out now. Just chill here, Kurt. You need to rest.”

“Thanks, Finn,” Kurt said, hugging his brother awkwardly. “I’m just going to make a coffee. I’m in desperate need of caffeine.”

Finn nodded and moved to Rachel, who hugged her fiancé tightly. “I’m worried,” she said quietly. “Kurt found blood on the doorknob, and we think it’s Blaine’s.”

“Are you serious?” Finn exclaimed. “We need to find him, and the sooner the better! Rach, can you stay with Kurt? I think he needs you right now.”

Rachel nodded and gave Finn a quick kiss. She followed Kurt into the kitchen. He was pulling some mugs out of the cabinet.

“I figured you would want one, too,” Kurt said and tried to smile, but couldn’t cover up his paralyzing fear. He put the cups on the counter, moved to the table and sat down. “Rachel, I’m scared.”

“I am too, but we need to be strong until we find him. Hold on a little longer, honey. We’re all going to take care of him,” she assured.

“I think I’m more scared about finding his father than I am about finding him. I’m not sure if I’d be able to control myself. That’s the thing that terrifies me, that I might really lose control. I can’t let Blaine go back there,” Kurt said vehemently.

“One thing at a time, Kurt,” Rachel said. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. We need to find him first.” Kurt looked up at her with wide eyes. “And we will, I promise. Remember, we went through this when you were missing, and you were fine, right?”

“I guess you’re right. Well, let’s grab a coffee then,” he said and walked to the counter. His phone started ringing and he saw it was from Santana. “Hi, Santana. What’s up?” he asked. “Did you find Blaine?”

Santana’s voice was frantic. “Kurt, you need to get here now! He’s bleeding and unconscious and I don’t know what to do!” she cried.

“Wait, wait. Slow down!” Kurt said as he ran to the living room where the adults were standing. “Where are you? What happened?” 

Rachel followed him, trying to listen in on the conversation. “It’s Santana,” she stage whispered to the rest of the room.

“I was driving home from Brit’s when I saw Blaine’s car on the side of the road. I figured he ran out of gas or something so I stopped to help him out. Then I found him. He won’t wake up and he has blood all over his face. Kurt, you need to get here now!” Santana almost yelled.

Burt put his hand out for the phone because Kurt was too shocked to talk. “Santana, it’s Burt. What happened?” After she explained the same thing she told Kurt, he asked, “Do you know how long he was there?”

“No, I’m sorry. Burt, is he going to be okay?” Santana responded.

“Okay, wait right there. Don’t move him. We’ll call an ambulance, and we’ll be there in a few minutes. Just keep him warm,” Burt advised. He hung up the phone, passed it back to Kurt who was still silent, and said to everyone, “She found him in his car on Chisholm Road. We need to get there as soon as possible. He’s breathing, but he’s unconscious.”

“No!” Carole said, putting her hand to her mouth. “Blaine is such a good boy! Why would this happen?”

“I don’t know, but I’m about to make sure it never happens again,” Burt promised and gently grabbed Kurt’s arm. “Come on, Bud. We need to get to Blaine. Everyone, we’ll go straight to the hospital. Spread the word and meet us there, okay?”

“On it, Dad,” Finn said, pulling out his phone. Sam pulled out his phone to update the rest of the New Directions.

Kurt couldn’t talk, because if he tried, he would just start screaming, and if he started screaming, he might not stop. Blaine was unconscious, and Kurt was responsible because he’d let his boyfriend go instead of making him stay at home. He just grabbed Rachel’s hand. She could keep him grounded, and if he couldn’t have Blaine right now, he needed Rachel.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath to center, and opened them again. Like that first night, they were like steel, hardened to a sharp point; like that first night, it was time to go into battle. He didn’t care about putting up walls or anything else but getting to Blaine. If it kept him from losing his mind completely, then that was exactly what he’d do.

All he could think of was the text that Blaine had sent him. He wondered if those would be the last words he would ever read from his boyfriend. If it was, he would kill Anderson, and that wasn’t a threat. “Let’s go, Rachel,” he ordered. Rachel looked at him with fear because his voice had reverted to his lower register. That could only mean one thing. Kurt was very, very angry.

*****

A/N: The song is “I Will Carry You” by Clay Aiken. Not sure if you remember, but he was runner up on the second season of American Idol. He was my Chris Colfer of the early 2000s. Funny he was one of the only contestants (other than Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson) that had a really good career. Now that I think about it, he would be a good guest star on Glee. Get on that, Ryan!

Cruel Summer Chapter 21 - Runaway

Word Count: 7,201/189,000

Rating: PG-13 (Borderline M because of content) Trigger Warning: Implied Physical Abuse (not graphic)

Summary: After Kurt was rejected from NYADA, we were dying to find out what happened next. We couldn't wait for the September premiere. Here is our take of what happened from the letter opening and beyond.

Author's Note: Phew, guys! I am starting this A/N with a GIANT warning. This chapter is intense. This chapter is really dramatic. And this chapter might be a bit disturbing. There is nothing gross or weird, just a lot of stuff going on. Writing this chapter drained me, and it took almost a week to be able to write again. I just wanted to see if I could do it. I also PROMISE you I am not punishing Blaine for what he did on the show. This was written before that. I love my Blainers, canon and fic, despite the fact he was a dumbass. I also promise that there will probably not be a chapter like this again, although we are in store for a lot of drama.

There is some good news, though. After several months (damn spoilers), I have finally hit the acceptance stage of this whole Klaine drama. We all know they are endgame so the journey back will be awesome. That means that I am continuing this series, but I need to take a little break after this book so I can work on something else. That way I come back to it refreshed. I also wanted to thank AS for writing the lion’s share of the Kurt/Burt conversation. You did good!! J

Anyhow, disclaimers, as usual: KurtsieKalanai doesn’t own Glee. If I did, any Klaine reunion would involve lots and lots of sucking up from Blaine. Second, I don’t own the songs in the fic. I use songs like the show but they fit into the story. Songs will be explained at the end of chapter. Third, this is AU so things do not work EXACTLY like canon. Also, my season 4 is not following canon’s season 4…at all.

Thanks: Wayne Kotke, I hope I didn’t traumatize you too much with this chapter. I promise guys, it’s not that bad. I’m just practicing the Ryan Murphy technique of overhyping. Thanks to Gleekast. And thanks to Chris, Darren, Ryan, and everyone else on the cast and crew for letting me steal these characters. Of course my readers, some of who are followers on twitter! Remember, follow me at @KurtsieKalanai Ok now my A/Ns are getting longer than my chapters so I’ll close for now.

**********

As Blaine drove back to his house he thought to himself, “Going home is the last thing I need right now. My house is one of tension, anger and unhappiness. I had my fair share of all those things over the last couple days, thank you very much! On the other hand, I also had more than my share of happiness, love, and acceptance as well. That’s what the Hudson-Hummel home means to me. Love. Acceptance. Home. Kurt is my future now. Kurt is my family. I just want to get back there as soon as possible.”

He let himself into his house, but he was greeted with a stony silence. His mother must have been out. However, the house was so big that they could be in different rooms and not even notice there was anyone else there. For the most part, that was a good thing, but it could get pretty lonely at times. Blaine shrugged, relieved that he didn’t have to interact with anyone in his family. He would just get his list of errands, complete them, and go back to his boyfriend. 

Blaine was thinking of taking Kurt to the most expensive restaurant in the city. He made a mental note to call the restaurant and make a reservation. Maybe he would take the opportunity to talk to Kurt about the potential marriage thing then. Where better than a romantic restaurant to talk about their future together?

He went to the kitchen and saw the small list his mother made for him sitting on the counter. There was no greeting, no thanks, just a list. Getting the dry-cleaning, picking up some groceries for a party they were throwing, and doing some banking were a few of the tasks set for him. All very mundane things, but Blaine noticed the lack of personal touch. It made him angry and just a little sad. When Kurt got notes from his parents, there was always a thank you, or a love you, or even a little smiley face. Why couldn’t Blaine have that? How hard was it to draw a goddamn smiley face?

Blaine realized the errands weren’t going to do themselves so he stuffed the list in his pocket and made his way to the front door. At the last minute he decided to go up to his room to grab a few more clothes for Kurt’s place. He had to do laundry, but for now, he would just bring new clothes from his house. He noticed that he never called the Andersons’ place home anymore, just “his house.” 

If Blaine had decided to leave instead of going upstairs, the rest of his day would have transpired very differently. Sadly, it didn’t.

He climbed the spiral staircase to his room. He knew his parents were very well off – strike that, they were rich – but that didn’t mean he was. Blaine tried to be as humble as possible, even though his father tried to stuff his wealth and influence down Blaine’s throat as much as possible. Blaine was literally counting the days before he was able to move to New York to be with Kurt. He even had a countdown calendar on his phone. After that, he would cut all ties with his parents. He was done being one of the illustrious Andersons, because illustrious they were not.

Blaine walked into his room and was shocked to see his father sitting on his bed with a book on his lap. At first Blaine was confused, as he didn’t expect his father to be home at all. He thought his father was going to be gone for the majority of the summer actually. Thank god! He had a big contract overseas, and traveling home would be challenging. With his father being away, it gave Blaine much more freedom to live his life.

“Oh! Dad, hi! I didn’t know you were home!” Blaine said nervously. Suddenly he put on a big smile. It was time to sport his Warblers performance face.

“I have an event to attend tonight that I just couldn’t miss. You know how important connections are, Blaine,” Anderson advised.

“Of course,” Blaine agreed. “Well, it’s nice to see you, but Mom asked me to do some errands so I better get going.” He was lying through his teeth because he hated his father, hated his family and hated everything that they represented. He loved Cooper, but that relationship was tenuous at best, and he was never around. Since Blaine had planned on moving to the East Coast and Cooper lived in LA, he didn’t think he would be seeing his brother again anytime soon. He wondered why his father was in his room, and why was he holding a book. It looked so familiar. “Blaine, wait! There’s something we need to talk about,” Anderson called as Blaine left the room.

“Oh god, what did I do now?” Blaine thought to himself with a silent groan. “What chore did I mess up, or how did I embarrass him this time? God, I hate him! I just want to go home…I mean to Kurt’s. This bullshit is totally not what I need right now.”

Blaine rolled his eyes and turned to his father with a fake smile. “What is it, Dad?” Blaine asked with a false cheerfulness. It was best to be cheerful because anything else would be interpreted as backtalk.

“I came up to talk to you, so color me surprised when you weren’t home,” Anderson started. “Your mother says you haven’t been home in almost a week. Where have you been?”

“I’m surprised she even noticed,” Blaine muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?” Anderson demanded. Blaine felt a flash of fear that he had angered his father.

“No-nothing! I was just over at Kurt’s house,” he stammered. “He was having some personal issues, and I was helping him. That’s what best friends do, right?” He didn’t tell his dad they were dating. Well, that wasn’t totally the truth. He said they had dated but decided to only be friends so they could concentrate on their studies and the glee club.

Anderson stood up, still holding the book as he said, “Blaine, don’t lie to me! I know full well you’re dating that boy. What did I say about not dating anyone while you were in school? At least that sorry excuse for a public school and that stupid glee club!”

Blaine’s eyes flashed with anger as he said with a raised voice, “Those guys are my friends! You have no right talking about them that way!” Screw it and screw him! He was done walking on eggshells around his father!

“Just like you had no right to leave Dalton against our wishes? That school would have set you up for life. Now I doubt I would be able to get you back in because you left on dishonest terms,” Anderson spat.

Blaine’s chin came up defiantly, not unlike when he and Kurt had their fight at the school. “I don’t want to go back to Dalton! I love McKinley, and my friends there are my family! We have people there of all types, as opposed to all the rich spoiled boys at Dalton. Diversity, Dad! You might want to look in the dictionary to see what it means.”

“You had friends at Dalton. That’s not a nice way to talk about them,” Anderson countered, ignoring Blaine’s rudeness.

Blaine’s voice was getting louder and louder. This was the person he really should have unloaded on, not Kurt. There was no turning back now, and Blaine knew he was going to regret it later, but it made him feel better directing his anger to the one who deserved it. “Right, and how many of them actually call me?” he yelled bitterly. “When Sebastian practically blinded me, how many of them visited me at the hospital or at home? Not one! But surprise, surprise! Just about every one of my glee friends dropped in to keep me company.”

“Your mother and I think you shouldn’t be associating with that type of people,” Anderson stated and crossed his arms.

“That type of people? That type of people?! Dad, what in the hell are you talking about? You mean poor people, don’t you?” Blaine demanded.

“You said it, I didn’t,” Anderson said smugly.

“Wow! This is amazing. If you actually paid attention to my life you would see that was totally not the case. One of my friends? Her dad is a dentist and other one has a doctor for a father. And my boyfriend – yes, he’s my boyfriend and I don’t give a flying crap what you think – his dad is the freakin’ congressman of this district! My best friend’s fathers were world famous singers. So don’t you DARE say that my friends are any less than they are! Even the ones who come from lower income families are more than you’ll EVER be!” Blaine yelled. “I don’t care what their parents do. That’s not who they are, and that’s not who I am. I look at people’s hearts, not their bank accounts. To me, my friends are everything.” He was starting to lose steam and he just wanted to get out of there. He was done.

Anderson looked at Blaine coolly, letting him rant. None of it mattered anyway. “Are you done taking your temper tantrum, young man?” he patronized.

Blaine crossed his arms and said, “No, not really. I have lots to say to you, Dad. But I’m not wasting my energy.”

“Fine,” he said as if his son didn’t just tell him off. “I wanted to talk to you about this.” He held up the book. Blaine wondered why that book was so familiar looking….oh no!!!

“I was looking for some paperwork in your room and I came across this book…this…diary is it?” Anderson asked, turning the book over in his hands.

“That’s my private property!” Blaine said, trying to grab the book from his father’s hands. Anderson just held it away.

“Blaine, there’s something you need to learn. NOTHING in this house is your property. This is my house and everything you have, I have given to you,” Anderson said. “I have never made you work a day in your life, and you have wanted for nothing. But make no mistake, it’s all mine.”

Blaine just stared at his father as he continued, “As I said before, you are an ungrateful bastard who doesn’t appreciate anything your mother and I gave you.”

“You’ve given me shit,” Blaine sneered. He didn’t care about his father’s reaction. “Yeah, you’ve given me material things, but I would trade every single thing for a real mom and dad. My boyfriend’s parents are better parents to me than you are!”

“Blaine, you’re nothing but an inconvenience and a disappointment. I had so many hopes for you. Then you told me you liked boys and things went to hell,” Anderson stated simply and stood up. “When will you accept we never wanted you? You were a mistake.” He had just shattered his son’s heart, but he didn’t care. He continued, “So, back to this book of yours. I decided to take a look through it.”

“You had no right!” Blaine exclaimed. He was still reeling from his father’s speech about not wanting him. He heard that from his mother, but this was the first time that he heard it from his father.

“No matter,” Anderson interrupted. “I was looking through it and I found this interesting little passage. Shall I read it?”

“Please, no!” Blaine asked desperately. This was going downhill fast.

“Too bad,” Anderson said haughtily. He took out his reading glasses and opened the book and read in a mocking sing song voice, “Kurt just graduated today. I’m so proud of him! Then he’ll go to NYADA and make his dreams come true! I love him so much. I’m counting down the days when I can get out of this goddamned house and away from my evil father and neglecting mother. Kurt and I figured out the long distance thing, but maybe I should consider moving to New York with him in the fall. I can finish high school through correspondence, at least till I turn 18 in a few months. Then I can enroll in a school there. The sooner I get away from the Andersons, the better. I don’t even want their last name. I think of myself as a Hudson-Hummel now.”

“I was just angry,” Blaine lied. He wasn’t angry at all when he wrote that passage. He was telling the truth. 

Blaine started to get scared. No one was supposed to see that! He didn’t even show Kurt his diary. It was where he put his deepest secrets and feelings. His father reading what he wrote was the deepest betrayal.

“Shut up, Blaine,” Anderson said angrily. “So after everything we gave you, you’re just going to leave us like that? To disown us?”

“I thought you didn’t care whether I existed,” Blaine said with a shaky voice. He could see his father’s eyes. They were angry eyes; they were scary eyes.

Anderson closed the book and handed it back to Blaine. The flash in his eyes disappeared. Blaine gave a sigh of relief as he wouldn’t get hurt, at least not today. “Fine. If you want to get away from us, we would be happy to oblige. After talking to your mother, we have decided it would be best to enroll you into military school next year. In fact, there’s a summer program and we’ll be sending you to that as well. It starts in a week. I suggest you say goodbye to your… friends and boyfriend now. Maybe it’ll teach you some respect and actually make a man out of you.” He said the words “friends and boyfriend” like he had smelled something rotten.

Blaine thought back to the conversation he had with Finn about the military. He didn’t want to enroll because he was a pacifist, and that wasn’t his path. His path was helping people, not potentially hurting people. Yes, the military was very important, and they did protect, but the thought of holding a gun to do so terrified him. “No,” he whispered.

“I’m afraid you don’t have a say in the matter. We can talk about this later, although there really isn’t anything to discuss. You’re going. I need to get ready for that event and you’re wasting my time,” Anderson dismissed. He looked at Blaine and said mockingly, “Buck up, soldier! You’ll thank me when you’re older.” With an evil smile he left the room.

Blaine sat on the bed looking down at the book in his hands. He was in shock. This was the worst thing that could possibly ever happen to him. He pulled out his phone and sent a text:

Babe, are you there?

He waited a few minutes but there was no response. Kurt must have been busy with something. Maybe he decided to go to the mall with the girls after all.

Blaine was lost. What was he going to do? There was no way he was going to New Mexico. There was only one thing he could do. He went to his closet and grabbed his large duffel bag. He would pack and go to Kurt’s, at least until he could figure out where to go next. Maybe they could leave together and go to another city like Kurt suggested the day before. Right now leaving Lima seemed like a great idea.

He went to his closet and grabbed as many clothes as he could stuff in his bag. It didn’t matter if they matched. Kurt would help him accessorize properly. He grabbed his socks, underwear, and several of his bowties. He also packed a couple pairs of shoes and a pair of sneakers. He had his own bathroom, so he stuffed his toiletry bag with whatever he could fit. He was in a hurry, and needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

He returned to his room and put the toiletry bag in the duffel. Then he took his backpack, put his diary and laptop in it, along with his prom pictures in the frame on his desk. Anything else he could buy himself later; he had some money in the bank, after all. He put the backpack on his shoulder and grabbed the duffel bag.

“Oh, and one other thing. I meant to tell you that you’re no longer allowed to see that boy again,” Anderson said as he walked into Blaine’s bedroom. He wasn’t paying attention as he was buttoning up his dress shirt. He looked up and saw that Blaine was weighed down with bags. “Going somewhere?” he asked casually. Stupid boy. No one ever left Anderson unless he decided to let them go. And if his associates found out that his son ran away? He would never live it down. No, this just wouldn’t do.

“I’m done with both of you. There’s no way you can make me go to military school unless I want to go. And you can’t tell me who I can date. I love Kurt, and we’re going to be together for a very long time, maybe forever, whether you like it or not,” Blaine practically screamed.

“Oh please!” Anderson scoffed. “A stupid gay boy’s high school crush. You know he’ll leave you as soon as he moves to New York for that faggy theater school.” Blaine’s head snapped around and he scowled at this father. “See? I listen.”

“Faggy theater school? Oh my god, you’re completely clueless!” Blaine bellowed. “I knew you didn’t approve of my homosexuality. Well, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Screw you and screw Mom. I’m outta here!” 

He pushed past his father but didn’t get very far. His father grabbed his backpack. “Blaine, you do NOT walk away from me when I’m talking to you,” he sneered as he spun his son around. Blaine stood there, not moving and staring his father in the eyes with a defiant glare. He had to stand his ground, to show that his father had no power over him anymore. At least that is what he was revealing on the outside. Internally, he was terrified.

“Dad, I’m not taking your abuse anymore. I’m a good person and I don’t deserve this. I would suggest you stand aside and let me go. I won’t be a burden on you anymore,” he said calmly but his voice wavered. He was doing this for Kurt. He was going to get out of there and go to Kurt and they would live happily ever after, right?

Anderson got in his son’s face and said, “You call my punishments abuse? It’s only what you deserve, son.”

“I’m no longer your son,” Blaine yelled and pushed his father away, trying to pass him to go down the stairs. “Just leave me alone!”

“No one leaves unless I tell them to!” Anderson screamed and grabbed the bag again. This time he practically dragged Blaine back into his room. Blaine stumbled and fell onto his bed, falling backwards. “Remember I said the next time you disobeyed me, the punishment would be ten times worse? I’m afraid this is the time.”

“Dad, no, please! I’m sorry. I won’t leave, I promise. Just please don’t hurt me!” Blaine begged. He took off his bag and put it on the floor beside the bed. He stood up and backed himself into a corner. “Just fight, Blaine! Hit him! Kick him! Do whatever you need to and get out of there!” he thought to himself. The manic look in his father’s eyes scared the hell out of him. “Oh my god, he wants to kill me!” he added frantically.

Blaine cowered in the corner as his father’s shadow descended upon him, ready to give Blaine the punishment Anderson claimed he deserved. “Kurt, please help!” Blaine thought, desperately trying to send his cry for help telepathically. It was the only thing he could do.

 

****

While Blaine was away doing his errands, at least as far as everyone else knew, the Hudson-Hummels, along with Rachel and Sam, were finishing up brunch. Kurt knew the talk was coming and tried to avoid it by offering to help clean up. His father shook his head and pointed to the family room.

A million thoughts ran through Kurt’s head. What he dreaded the most though was known as “The Lecture.” Usually the talks with his dad were great and he enjoyed them immensely, but not “The Lecture.” That type of conversation was to be feared and rightly so. 

 “I’m going to tell Dad that I …” he thought to himself. What was he going to tell his dad? That he was changing who he was? That he was nothing but a Lima Loser now? That he was stuck here and had to work in his dad’s shop for the rest of his life? That didn’t seem fair at all. His dad had worked at Hummel Tire and Lube and didn’t consider himself to be a Lima Loser. Perhaps he’d better think of a better phrase. His dad might not take kindly to that. “God, this is so frustrating!”

His dad took one look at him and said, “Ok, so I’m going to start with the most obvious. Kurt, what did you do with your hair?” Finn and Sam were in the room watching the game and Rachel had volunteered to step in for Kurt in kitchen cleaning duty. Finn didn’t want to be witness to this conversation so he made a lame excuse and returned to the kitchen. Sam excused himself to his room.

Kurt cast his eyes downward and mumbled, “I changed it.”  

Burt responded, “I can see that. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking it was time for a change. I didn’t get into NYADA, Dad,” Kurt tried to explain as he glanced up at his father. Maybe Burt would feel sorry for him and forget the past week ever happened. 

Burt crossed his arms. Kurt could tell he wasn’t buying it. There wasn’t much sympathy for not getting into NYADA. Kurt switched tactics. Perhaps he should go down the feel-sorry-for-me-because-I’m-different route. “I have no idea what I’m going to do next, Dad. I feel so lost. I thought if I changed myself, I’d fit in better, you know, around here.”  Burt squinted at him in disbelief. Ok that wasn’t working either. “I was just trying to find myself.” 

“By trashing your room?” Burt said, starting to get upset but reining it in. He could tell Kurt was in pain but this talk needed to happen. “By charging up your credit card with more crap?”

 “I have money from Grandma. I’ll pay for it all!” Kurt exclaimed, starting to feel panic set in. Things weren’t going well at all. He tried to stay calm. 

“You bet you’ll pay for it all!” Burt replied. “And you went to a gay bar? How the hell did you get in there? Don’t think for one moment I’m going to let that one slide."

“I… I…” Kurt started to stutter.

“And don’t think I don’t know about your drinking, Kurt! You’re underage. I’m contacting the state’s liquor licensing board and getting Scandal’s license revoked,” Burt continued.    

“It’s… It’s not their fault, Dad,” Kurt responded, defeated. “Please don’t close them down. I take all the blame. It was my fake ID.”

“And how did you plan to get home?” Burt asked his son.  

 Oh, crap. He was in real trouble now.  “I… I... was going to call a cab?” Kurt said in a small voice as he bit his lip and looked at his dad with his best “I’m a responsible person” eyes.

If his dad had been a cartoon character, his head would have exploded with anger. The look Burt shot at Kurt made him shrink with fear. “Your credit card, Kurt!” Burt demanded. 

Kurt slowly reached for his wallet. “This sucks,”  he thought to himself. He handed Burt his credit card. Burt walked over to Carole’s knitting basket, picked up her scissors and cut the card up.

That hurt! Kurt hoped that was the end of it and started to leave. He thought this was just going to be one of those uncomfortable talks. Instead, his father was basically ruining his life by taking away everything that was important to him. “He’s being way too harsh! The punishment DEFINITELY didn’t fit the crime,” Kurt pouted to himself.

“Where are you going? Get back here,” Burt barked. Kurt turned around and faced his dad. He put his hand on his hip and jutted it out. “Quit it with the attitude.” Burt wasn’t putting up with Kurt going all diva. That might have worked with the glee club, but it wasn’t going to fly in this house. 

Kurt straightened back up. “I thought that was it,” he said to Burt. 

“We’re just getting started,” Burt responded. “You got into that gay bar somehow.”

Kurt sighed, reached back for his wallet and pulled out his Hawaiian fake I.D. 

Burt took one look at it and said, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” The I.D. was the next victim of Carole’s scissors. 

Kurt crossed his arms, knowing that there was more coming. It didn’t bother him to lose the I.D. It wasn’t that big of a deal to him anyway. The chances of him drinking again in the near future were slim to none.

“Driver’s license, Kurt,” Burt commanded, putting out his hand.

Kurt blanched. “Don’t cut up my driver’s license, Dad! How will I get around? I can’t get to Blaine’s house or the mall without it. They’re too far away!” he cried. Panic set into Kurt’s voice and his pitch rose higher and higher.  

“If the cops had caught you drinking and driving, you’d be worrying about a lot more things than driving to the mall,” Burt said and took Kurt’s license. Instead of cutting it up, Burt put it in his wallet.

Kurt debated on asking how long he would be without his license but decided that could wait until later. Burt was really pissed right now, no point in making him madder.  

“Tomorrow you’ll report to the shop at 7:00 AM. You can do oil changes, and you’ll work under Finn.” Burt said as he gestured to the kitchen. Finn must have been eavesdropping because his head peeked around the kitchen door frame and he looked with wide eyes. 

“You’re kidding!” Kurt said, horrified. That was not the plan for this summer. The plan, originally, was to explore New York City with Rachel. Of course, that had changed. But working in his dad’s shop all summer under Finn’s was not going to happen. He was supposed to manage the place! “I’m not working for him!” Kurt pointed in Finn’s direction. “I’m not changing oil, like a Lima Loser!”

Kurt immediately regretted his choice in words. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean it. Can’t you just ground me to my room or something?” he asked. He knew he deserved every punishment his father gave him, but he was starting to get a little angry at his father for not showing concern at his issues before blowing his top.

Burt looked at Kurt hard and said, “You’re 18 and it’s time you become a responsible adult. So no, I will not ground you to your room.”

“Okay… I’ll report to the shop at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning,” Kurt said, and then in his best smart-ass voice asked, “And how am I supposed to get there? Fly?”

“Don’t take that tone with me!” Burt said loudly. “If you were 10 years old, I’d take you over my knee and spank the daylights out of you.” 

Burt talking about spanking him set off some very unsettling feelings in Kurt, especially after what Blaine had confided about Anderson. However, he knew Burt would never hit him in anger. A spanking was much different than a beating. All these emotions, worries and punishments were too much. Kurt turned and ran for stairs. “Kurt, come back here!” his dad yelled after him.

Halfway up the stairs, Kurt turned around and yelled, “Dad, if you actually talked to me before handing out punishments, you might have realized exactly why I did what I did! I’ll take whatever you give me, but I thought we had an open communication sort of relationship. Do you even realize the torture I’ve gone through in the past week? All you see is a trashed room and a different Kurt, but do you care WHY I did it?”

Burt worried he might have gone a little too far. He knew Kurt was just trying to find himself. One they both calmed down, maybe he and Kurt could go out, get a coffee and have an adult conversation about what went on in the last week. He was still going to teach Kurt responsibility, but maybe with a less harsh punishment. Kurt was a good kid, after all. He always looked out for the people he cared about. This was just a brief lack of judgement.  

“Look, Dad, I really can’t talk to you right now. I’m angry, and I’ve been having anger management issues recently. I think it’s best if I went to my room to calm down. So if you would excuse me…” Kurt said, his voice coming down several decibels.

Kurt ran up the rest of the stairs and went straight to his bedroom. He slammed the door and locked it. He sat on the bed and waited. He figured any minute now his dad would climb the stairs and start banging on the door. Then he would remind his dad about his heart troubles and his dad would calm down and go back to watching his game with Finn. 

Five minutes went by and there was no Dad. Then ten minutes. Kurt started getting worried. Had his dad had a heart attack or something? Kurt went over to the door and listened. No frantic voices coming from downstairs. He unlocked the door and tiptoed over to the top the stairs. No, the game was still on and he heard Finn and Burt give a cheer.  

Kurt went back to his barren bedroom and sat on the bed. He could wait this out. He spent the next hour waiting, fuming the entire time about having to work under Finn. “That’s so unfair! I’m part owner of the shop and I have to work under someone else? Not going to happen! Where the hell is Dad? This is getting boring!” he whined to himself. During the second hour, Kurt had an epiphany. His dad said he wasn’t grounded to his room so why was he sitting here? Well, he couldn’t exactly go anywhere, except maybe to the park. He didn’t have his driver’s license. 

Kurt knew what he must do. He had to go downstairs and apologize. Burt had to go back to D.C. in a few days. He hated giving in – he was a stubborn bastard when he wanted to be – but it would be better to face his dad now. 

Kurt went back down stairs and peeked in to the family room. Everyone was a watching some junk pickers reality show. “Dad?” he called softly. Burt looked over at Kurt. “Can I talk to you alone?”

Burt got up and followed Kurt to the hall. “I’m sorry, Dad,” Kurt apologized, and Burt could tell he really meant it. “I’ll stop acting like a brat. I just need to know how I’ll get to work tomorrow.”

“Finn will drive you. You can get your license back next week,” Burt said kindly. 

“And my credit card?” asked Kurt hopefully.

“You’re not getting it back,” said Burt firmly. 

“What?” Kurt said, looking alarmed at the revelation. “How am I supposed to buy gas or clothes?”

Burt explained, “You have a full time job, Kurt. You’re lucky. In this economy, there are men with families who can’t find work. From now on, you’ll be responsible for your own gas and your own clothes. You’ll start paying for your cell phone. I’ll show you how to apply for your own credit card. I’m selling the Navigator as the insurance premiums are too high for you to afford and buying you a cheaper car.” Kurt started to protest but thought better of it. “And you’ll give your mom $200 a month for room and board. We’ll help you plan out a budget and you’ll learn to live within it.” Unbeknownst to his son, Burt had opened a savings account and had planned on matching dollar for dollar the rent money Kurt gave Carole. It would be a nice nest egg for when his son moved out, whether it was New York or elsewhere.

Kurt was shocked. This was not what he expected. His dad continued, “The day is coming when you’ll want to get your own apartment, Kurt. I want you to be able to step out on your own and be in complete control of your life.” Kurt wasn’t sure if he should be impressed at his father’s foresight or start crying.  

“But if I was going to NYADA, I wouldn’t be able to work a full time job.” Kurt responded, confused at his father’s explanation.

“But you aren’t, Kurt. You aren’t going to NYADA and you aren’t going to sit on your butt all day waiting for them to call you to tell you they have changed their minds about you attending,” Burt said, knowing that it might hurt Kurt’s feelings, but his son needed to hear this.

It did hurt, but Kurt knew it was true. Rachel had taken his spot. Getting mad about it and expecting things to change because he wished for it wasn’t going to happen. Tears started to well up in Kurt’s eyes. Burt continued, “It’s time to be the grownup, Kurt. I know you can handle it.” Kurt nodded in agreement. His dad got up to go back to the family room. He patted Kurt on the shoulder, leaving him to mull over his new life. 

Kurt gave a frustrated sigh. “This was a wonderful cap to a really shitty week. What else was going to go wrong? Murphy’s Law called for it, after all,” he thought bitterly. Kurt decided to wait a bit and and talk to his father again. It seemed Burt still didn’t understand why Kurt was making all these changes. Maybe if his dad understood, he wouldn’t be so hard on him. He also had to tell his father about Blaine.

He returned to his room, the gears turning in his head. While they were on their date, he would ask Blaine to talk to Burt. At the very least, he would try to ask if he could work in the office of the shop. Changing oil was so gross. And working under Finn? How was that going to happen if Finn was going to enroll in the army?

 While Kurt was in his room, he noticed there was a text from Blaine. 

Babe, are you there?

“How did I miss that before?” he asked himself. He sent a response:

I’m here. Had a crazy talk with dad. Kill me now. Almost done?

He spent the time waiting for an answer by hanging his clothes up in his closet. 20 minutes passed when he realized there was still no response. He went to his phone and turned on the screen, making sure he didn’t miss anything. Usually Blaine was so prompt with answering. Maybe he was on the road. Without a second thought Kurt went back to his chore. He had an outfit to pick out for his date, after all!

*****

Blaine was in excruciating pain. He was in so much pain, he could barely move. His father had made good on his promise to punish him tenfold. He had punched him; he had kicked him; he had even pulled out that dreaded belt. Blaine had tried to protect himself by fighting back, but it had only angered his father further. As usual, his mother ignored the screaming above her. She was probably enjoying a pre-party cocktail.

He tried getting up from the floor but he could barely move. It felt like his chest was on fire. He put his hand to his face and came back with a blood smeared mess. Blaine started to panic. His father left him like this, to take care of himself, like nothing happened. He needed to get help, and soon.

He slowly and agonizingly got to his knees, then using the wall as a prop, stood up. All he had to do was get to his car then he would drive to Kurt’s. Burt would know what to do. Blaine wondered if he was going to die. How could his father do this to him? He knew now that his father didn’t care for him at all, so it made it much easier to get away. He would text Kurt when he got to his car.

As he stood up he wavered a little bit. The pain was so bad he felt like he was going to pass out. As much pain as he was in, he had some things to say to his father, whether he could hear them or not, and he knew the perfect song. Through his haze of pain, he sang:

“I've got my things packed. My favorite pillow.
Got my sleeping bag. Climb out the window.
All the pictures and pain I left behind.
All the freedom and fame I've gotta find.
And I wonder how long it'll take them to notice that I'm gone.
And I wonder how far it'll take me.”

“To run away (Life don't make any sense to me).
Run away (This life makes no sense to me).
Run away (Life don't make any sense to me).
Run away (Life don't make any sense to me).”

Blaine limped to the top of the spiral stairs and looked down to the foyer below. His father and mother were putting on their shoes, getting ready for some socialite event. They were laughing and joking as if their youngest son wasn’t more than likely bleeding to death in a bedroom right above them. As they got ready to leave, Blaine sang angrily:

“I was just trying to be myself.
You go your way I'll meet you in hell.
It's all these secrets that I shouldn't tell I've got to run away.
It's hypocritical of you.
Do as you say not as you do.
I'll never be your perfect boy.
I've got to run away.”

He went back to his room and waited for a few minutes to make sure his parents were gone. At that moment, Blaine decided the Andersons weren’t his parents anymore. No sane parent would do this do their child. He grabbed his bags, even though it caused him indescribable pain to do so and slowly, very slowly made his way down the stairs as he continued singing:

“I'm too young to be taken seriously.
But I'm too old to believe all this hypocrisy.
And I wonder how long it'll take them to see my bed is made.
And I wonder if I was a mistake.”

Now Blaine knew the answer to that, beyond a shadow of a doubt. He wasn’t meant to exist. And now he was an orphan. He left the house, letting the door lock behind him. As it was habit, he checked to make sure it was locked and turned the knob, leaving a bloody handprint. It was still raining, but not as hard as it had earlier in the day. Blaine didn’t even notice the rain hitting his face. All he cared about was getting to his car. He had to do things one step at a time. Any other way was too much. 

He unlocked the doors and threw his bags into the backseat. He got in on the driver’s side and just sat there, not sure what to do. He had to rest, just for one moment. He wasn’t thinking straight. As he tried to figure things out, he sang:

“I might have nowhere left to go, but I know that I cannot go home.
These words are strapped inside my head, tell me to run before I'm dead.
Chase the rainbows in my mind, and I will try to stay alive.
Maybe the world will know one day, why won't you help me run away.”

He pulled out his phone and remembered he had blood on his hand. He grabbed a tissue and cleaned his hand off, then lifted the phone to call Kurt. He saw some car lights and thought it might be his parents coming back to finish the job. Remember, Blaine was bordering on delirious at this point.

He would contact Kurt when he was at a safe place, or maybe at the hospital, because that was where he wanted to go. He turned on the gas and carefully drove out of the circular driveway as he sang:

“I could sing for change on a Paris street.
Be a red light dancer in New Orleans.
I could start again. Choose a family.
I could change my name, come and go as I please.
In the dead of night you'll wonder where I've gone.
Wasn't it you, wasn't it you, wasn't it you that made me run away.”

Blaine wasn’t sure where he was going, and the rain on the windshield wasn’t helping his driving which was starting to get erratic. The rain was disorienting him. All he knew was that he had to get somewhere safe. Kurt’s house or the hospital, it didn’t matter.

All of a sudden he felt such intense pain he could barely breathe. He couldn’t drive like this. Making sure there were no cars coming behind him, he put his signal on and parked at the side of the road. He had no idea where he was, and the rain was obscuring the street signs. He put his parking brake on and leaned the seat back, trying to breathe deep to control the stabbing feeling in his abdomen. The pain wasn’t subsiding and he could hear a grinding sound in his chest. He pulled his phone out and sent a text to Kurt. The text contained four words, but they said enough:

Help…Dad…it hurts.

He put his phone in the cup holder beside him, no longer having any energy to hold it. He was just going to close his eyes for a minute and wait for Kurt to call him. He said a small prayer that he would find the strength to get to safety. Suddenly, all he knew is darkness. He had passed out; the pain had finally overtaken him.

Beside him his phone had started to ring. On the screen was a picture of Kurt giving an air kiss to the camera. Unfortunately the call was unanswered. Blaine was out cold, but he was alive.

**********

A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know. Another Pink song. I think that’s it for now. Glee really needs to do a Pink tribute. Song is called “Runaway.” Another one of those perfect for the situation songs. Anyhow, 22 is out to beta right now so let’s hope I can get it up soon. Love you guys!