Scars and Stones: Chapter 1 (Klaine)

Chapter 28

Blaine was forced to watch as his best friend, his boyfriend, his everything, as the punches tore into his abdomen. He could see Kurt's eyes flickering on the verge of consciousness, as each hit punctuated his chest, forcing him backwards into the hands of his captors. Memories of Blaine's own ordeals flashed in the forefront of his mind, playing like a movie reel. He was in Kurt's place, on the receiving end of the abuse. This, mixed with the sight of Kurt being tortured made Blaine sick to his stomach. His breathing became shallower and hoarser, the tears blurring his vision. Each hit tore at his soul. He swore he could feel his brain beating; he was that enraged. Kurt didn't put up a fight, as his eyes suddenly closed. Blaine cried out in terror.

"Kurt? Kurt! Stop it! Stop it!" He screamed at his captors. He suddenly gained a new strength through his sheer desperation. Hurriedly, he shoved his entire body weight to the left, causing the boy holding his left arm to topple over in surprise. Blaine then kicked backwards, hard. The first one had no effect, but he tried again and caught the boy behind him on the leg. This caused his hands to release from around his torso. He now only had one barrier.

Charlie clung onto him harder, smirking but obviously having trouble.

"You won't get to him, Anderson." With his free hand, Blaine brought up his fist and sent it into Charlie's smug, ugly face. Charlie was sent reeling backwards, clutching his broken nose, blood dripping down dramatically. Momentarily, Blaine was free. He could stop the torture. Dean hadn't noticed the scuffle until Blaine ran at Nathan. At the sound of pounding feet, Nathan turned his head in surprise. Blaine rammed into him, causing Nathan's legs to buckle beneath him. His hold on Kurt collapsed, leaving Brock and the other boy holding him up. Dean's eyes flashed in surprise as he stopped hitting Kurt.

"What's going on?" He turned to find three broken boys behind him, not holding his prisoner anymore. He looked at Nathan on the floor, but realised that Blaine had moved. Blaine ran behind him, kneeling down as he scooped up the gun Dean had left on the floor. Blaine stood up straight, and pointed the gun at him, hand unsteady but his eyes flashed in steely determination. Dean laughed nervously, trying to act calm.

"Blaine, what are you doing? Don't you think that's a bit silly, waving that gun around like a toy?" He tried to laugh it off, but Blaine was unyielding. He stepped towards Dean, aware of the power he now suddenly held.

"You let him go, and nobody gets hurt. You free us, and you don't die. Got it?" Blaine's voice dropped an octave. He didn't sound like himself anymore. Dean licked his lips, thinking of what to say.

"Okay Blaine, you drive a hard bargain. But would you really do it? Do you have the guts?"

"Don't push me, Young. You have no idea how much I have changed these last two years." Inside, Blaine was a mess. He had never held a gun before, let alone a revolver. He could feel the sweat trickling down his back. His mind battled out between doing the morally right thing, and saving Kurt by any means necessary. Here he was, holding the power to destroy the enemy that had almost killed him, yet he was questioning everything he believed in. If he killed these guys, would Kurt be safe? That was his main priority. But Blaine was a good person. He couldn't just kill someone, no matter what they had done. On the outside, however, he put on the perfect façade. It began to unnerve Dean.

Dean put his hands up in surrender, moving out the way to reveal Kurt. He was sprawled on the floor, after the captors had lain him there. His lithe, lean body was crumpled and damaged. Bruises blossomed all over his chest and stomach, blood dribbling from his mouth from when he had coughed it up. His beautiful face was smattered with blood also, and scars blemished his cheeks. Blaine went over the edge, tears streaming even more than before. Dean spoke calmly, trying to reason with Blaine.

"He wouldn't want you to hurt anyone, would he? Even if it was to save himself, he wouldn't kill. He wouldn't be able to look you in the eye if you caused such an atrocity." Dean thought his words would trip Blaine, but if anything, it made him even angrier.

"Oh yeah, I bet you thought the same of Quinn, huh? That is the most hypocritical bullshit I have ever heard. You didn't let her live, and you're giving me the moral lesson? Really? Are you that stupid, Dean?" The gun began to steady in his hand. He pointed it directly at Dean's forehead.

"You think I won't do it? I've just seen you torture my boyfriend, you forced me to watch. You tormented me for years, and you think I'm just going to walk away from that? Kurt will understand why I did what I had to do, so if you give him to me, you'll live. Bring him to me. Then I'll see if I feel like playing your game, or let you scumbags live." Quietly, Nathan began to move Kurt. Blaine couldn't believe how quickly his luck had turned from bad to good. He and Kurt were going to get out of here!

However, everything came crashing down when Nathan suddenly whipped out a knife, holding it close to Kurt's throat. Blaine's breath stopped.

"If you even think of shooting, I'll cut his throat quicker than you can say 'Vogue'. You wouldn't want to risk his life, would you?" Nathan spoke directly to Blaine, eyes boring into his soul. Dean looked between Nathan and Blaine, suddenly smirking. Everything was going right for him again.

"You see Anderson, it's not a difficult situation. Give me the gun, and he will live. If you don't give me the gun, he will die. It's win-win really." Blaine's mouth dropped. How could everything suddenly go so wrong again? He saw his life diminishing into nothingness again. He looked over at Kurt, who was breathing shallowly. As long as there was breath in his body, he would do everything in his power to keep Kurt alive.

"How do I know you're not lying? You could just turn it on us as soon as I hand it over." Dean didn't answer. Instead, Nathan pushed the blade gently against Kurt's throat, allowing a line to develop. Before he pressed deeper, Blaine immediately retracted.

"Okay, okay, I'll give it to you." He stopped pointing it at Dean, and handed over the offensive weapon. Even though it had been his only protection, Blaine felt better to be rid of it. He felt human again. As soon as the gun reached Dean, Nathan dropped the knife from Kurt's throat. The entire gang surrounded Kurt's damaged body, waiting for their leader to retaliate. They were surprised when Dean gently put the gun back in his jacket.

"Can't leave this lying around, can I guys? I should be more careful. Anderson, you've got a bit more spirit in you. It's going to take a lot to break you. Like I said to your Fairy, we can touch you anywhere." His words sent shivers down Blaine's spine.

Dean gestured for the rest of the group to leave the room. They accepted, like the good little soldiers they were. Dean was the last to move. Before he moved, he lashed out and punched Blaine on the jaw. Blaine was sent sprawling on the floor, collapsing next to Kurt onto the cold, granite floor. His mouth ached and locked, as if all the muscles had tightened and couldn't let go.

"Next time Anderson, your little stint won't be so well appreciated. It was unwise of you to badmouth me like that. Now you and your fag of a boyfriend really will pay the price." He walked up the stairs, and turned to say something else.

"By the way, did you ever hear from McGregor again? I don't suppose you did, considering how dead he is now. Decided to jump off that bridge. Good riddance I say. I like to think I had something to do with it, but you can never be too sure nowadays. Anyway, you need your rest. Goodnight, little shits." He closed the door behind him, locking them in.

Blaine's mind whirled. Rory was dead? But he couldn't be, could he? It slotted into place when Blaine remembered Nathan's letter.

They began a whole new bully campaign, which ended up with a student taking their own life.

Blaine curled up in on himself, crying harder than he had ever cried in his life. The world was so, so unkind. He reached out for Kurt's limp hand, clutching onto it as a lifeline. Blaine drowned in his mind, everything screaming at him. Rory, Dean, Nathan all yelled out at him, and he couldn't shut them up.