Dislaimer: Glee belongs to FOX, and its creator, writers, producers, etc. I am making no money from this, and no copywrite infringement is intended. All quotes were found online and are attributed to their authors if I could find them.

AN: Because of all the missing scenes from S4, this was the one everyone wanted. And because it kinda bugs me that Blaine's parents are usually not the greatest people in fanfic, I've chosen to portray his mom completely differently than is generally done, although part of that is due to the circumstances. One more story on based on "Shooting Star."

The One You Need

By Lady Callista

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"Be careful of whose heart you break, because the one you break today might be the one you'll need tomorrow." -Anonymous

OoOoOoO

Chapter 1: Forgiveness

Kurt let out a sigh as his text alert sounded for the second time in as many minutes. Although it was supposed to be his day off, he'd already taken two calls and over a dozen texts from Isabelle as she stressed and panicked about several articles and photo spreads her team was working on.

He glanced over his shoulder to where his phone sat on the kitchen table, but continued chopping vegetables and adding them to the pot of stew he had simmering. Isabelle's constant interruptions had delayed him, and he needed to get this done if he and the girls were going to eat at a reasonable hour. Rachel would be home from classes soon, and Santana home from work about thirty minutes later.

His text alert sounded again, and Kurt let out another sigh, this one slightly more frustrated. He loved his job, he really did, and he loved Isabelle, but he had really been looking forward to some alone time today, some time to just de-stress, but with the amount of time Isabelle had taken up he should have just gone into work.

Finally finishing the vegetables, he was just about to find out what Isabelle wanted now when he heard the door to the loft open. "Hey, Rachel." He called out even as he heard her phone ring.

"Hey, Kurt." She called back as the ringing stopped. Her voice still carried as she said excitedly, "Hey, Tina. Haven't heard from you in a while, what's…."

Kurt forgot all about his phone, and anything else, when Rachel trailed off for a second, and then her voice came back sounding worried and edged in panic, "Wait, Tina, slow down, I can barely understand you."

Kurt rushed over and Rachel pulled her phone from her ear at his approach, hitting the speaker button and filling the loft with Tina's hysterical voice. "…was late for glee club, had to run out to my car to get something, and suddenly there were all these cop cars, and SWAT, and… and they say there were two gunshots fired in the school, and everyone's in the choir room, and I don't know what to do, they don't know if anyone got shot or not, and I needed to talk to someone, and I knew you guys would want to know, and…"

Kurt felt the rush of fear and dread flow over him, damn near suffocating him, even as Rachel reached for his hand, a similar expression on her face as their hands linked and clutched, too hard but not enough. She managed to say, "Tina, calm down. Is… is Finn in there?"

"No, he's doing the college thing, but Rachel everyone else is in there. Artie and Sam, and Blaine, and, oh God I need to call Kurt too…"

"I'm here." Kurt barely recognized his own voice.

"Oh, Kurt." Tina's voice was slower now, but no less hysterical. "What if something happens to them? What if…"

"Tina, they'll be okay." Kurt managed to whisper, heart clutching at the thought of Blaine in danger. Blaine scared. Blaine shot. The last thought had tears trailing down his face, and he tried to erase it from his mind but just couldn't. Hoping to reassure himself as much as Tina, he added, "They have to be. We had drills for this, and lectures. Everyone knows what to do, and…"

Kurt suddenly stopped speaking as he remembered one of those things they had been told to do. Get on Facebook, and Twitter, and text, and get the word out. Text.

Feeling like he was moving faster than he ever had in his life, Kurt shot back into the kitchen to get his phone. Heart racing, fear surging through him, it took Kurt three tries to type his password into his phone, and when he did his heart almost stopped in relief. All three texts were from Blaine.

Are you there?

Please, please be there.

I love you and I always will.

Kurt sank into a chair, relief surging through him even as he began to text back. He called out even as he typed, "Blaine's okay."

I'm here. I love you. I know. Is everyone okay?

Rachel moved into the kitchen, collapsing onto the floor beside him, her hand gripping his knee even as her head came to rest in his lap. He stroked a hand over her hair absently as he listened to Tina on the speaker, "Blaine's okay? What about everyone else?"

Kurt stopped stroking Rachel's hair as his phone went off again, and he sighed in relief.

Everyone's here but Tina. We're all okay.

"Everyone's okay, Tina." He said, feeling a shudder of relief go through Rachel even as he texted a reply.

Tina called us, she's outside and okay. Cops are there.

Kurt felt another tear trickle down his face when Blaine's next text came through, even as he heard Tina saying she had to go because her mom had just texted and she needed to call her.

I'm so scared.

Kurt texted back even as Rachel said a tear-filled goodbye to Tina.

Courage.

He needed to find some himself.

"They must be terrified." Rachel's quiet whisper sounded loud in the silence of the loft, and Kurt resumed petting her hair.

A minute passed, then another, as they sat in the kitchen wishing they could be six hundred miles away. Kurt wanted to text again, wanted to tell Blaine to keep texting so he knew he was okay, but he didn't know what was going on. He would answer if Blaine texted again, but until then all they could do was hope.

"They'll be okay." Kurt whispered. "They'll be okay, they have to be okay."

"They'll be okay." Rachel echoed it like a mantra.

"I feel so helpless." Kurt whispered after another long stretch of silence. "We're so far away. It's not like we could do anything even if we were in Lima, but…"

"But you could hold him when it was over." Rachel whispered, her hand squeezing his knee gently. "God, if Finn was in that room I think I'd be on the next flight to Lima."

Fly down to Lima. The thought ran on a loop in his head. He had work tomorrow, and classes, but tomorrow was Friday and his weekend was clear. Fly down to Lima. Well, he had a meeting and Saturday brunch with Isabelle and editors, but he was sure she would understand. He didn't really have the money, but his dad had given him a credit card for emergencies, and he was sure this would count. Fly down to Lima.

Great Gaga, all he wanted in this moment was to have the boy he loved in his arms. It didn't matter that they weren't a couple anymore, it didn't matter that they'd both hurt each other. All he wanted was to hold his best friend, to have that proof that he was okay, that everything was okay.

He couldn't imagine what Blaine and the others were going through right now, not really, but if he was in that room he knew what he would want when it was over. He'd want to hug his dad, and Carole and Finn and all his other friends. And he'd want to hold on to Blaine and never let go.

"I'm going." His voice was quiet, but certain. "I have an exam tomorrow I can't miss, and a deadline at work, but… but I'll get a flight out tomorrow night, and…"

They both jumped when his phone rang.

"It's Blaine." He said even as he answered. If he was calling instead of texting it had to be over. "Blaine." His voice almost broke as he whispered into the phone.

"Kurt, oh, god, Kurt."

Kurt could hear the relief in the shaking voice, and it literally hurt that he wasn't there with Blaine. "Shh, it's okay sweetheart. You're okay."

"None of us are hurt, but we're not okay." Blaine's voice was trembling violently.

"You will be." Kurt whispered back, jumping again even as he heard the door open and Santana call out.

"Hey, bitches." Santana strolled into the kitchen a second later, stopping dead in her tracks as she took in the scene before her.

Kurt was collapsed in a chair, his upper body laying on the table, tears trickling down his face as he spoke softly into his phone. Rachel still knelt on the floor, crying as well, hands clutching Kurt's legs and her head on his lap.

Kurt could literally see the sarcastic comment forming in Santana's mind even as he continued to murmur assurances to Blaine over the phone, and gave her credit when she realized that this was something bad and not one of them having a drama queen moment about something stupid at school. The quip died on her tongue and she hurried across the room to kneel next to Rachel. "What happened?"

Kurt tuned them out as Rachel began to explain, starting with the phrase they're all okay to save Santana the panic and worry that he and Rachel had been going through for the past half-hour.

He concentrated on the voice in his ear, murmuring love and comforting words and wishing that Blaine was in his arms.

OoOoOoO

It was just short of nine the next night when Kurt turned his rental car into the Anderson driveway. He hadn't called ahead, not sure what his reception would be with Blaine's parents but determined to get into the house.

He clipped up the walk, rang the doorbell, and waited. The Mrs. Anderson who opened the door wasn't the one Kurt was used to seeing, not that she or her husband had ever been around much.

The Mrs. Anderson that Kurt knew was impeccably tailored in classic styles that screamed money. Her make-up was always subtly understated, her hair perfectly styled. She always spoke politely to Kurt, but it was a false, bored politeness that was all breeding and no warmth. He wasn't sure he had ever seen a real, true emotion cross her face.

The woman who stood before the open door wore a green silk skirt suit, but it was wrinkled, and stained at the collar with what Kurt was fairly certain were tears. Her hair was loose and flat, and although she wore more make-up than normal it couldn't hide the dark circles under her eyes. Her face practically radiated pain.

She greeted him with a hug, and Kurt briefly wondered if he had landed in a parallel universe.

"Kurt, Blaine didn't tell me you were coming." She said softly as she moved back, keeping an arm around him as she pulled him into the house.

"I didn't tell him." Kurt said softly. "I had to fly-standby, and I wasn't sure when or if I would get here. I thought it might be worse if I told him and then couldn't make it."

Mrs. Anderson nodded too rapidly even as she began ushering him across the grand foyer. "He… He's trying to sleep, I was just up there with him. We didn't sleep at all last night, and he must be more exhausted than I am, but he just can't sleep."

"Worrying about someone else can be just as exhausting." Kurt said softly, deciding not to question or think about how different Blaine's mother was at the moment, and sliding a careful arm around her back to mirror the one she still had around his waist. Stress and worry caused people to act in all kinds of strange ways. At least he knew Blaine was being taken care of, which was something that having met the Andersons Kurt hadn't been sure would be the case.

"Can you stay?" Mrs. Anderson asked quietly, pausing before they went up the stairs.

"My flight out is Sunday afternoon, I just had to see Blaine tonight before I went on to my dads. I was going to call Blaine tomorrow." Kurt replied, not sure what she was asking.

"You can stay here tonight, if you want." Mrs. Anderson made it more clear. "You can be with him."

Kurt's thoughts reeled, and he wondered if she had any idea what had happened between the two of them. As if reading the look on his face, she stepped back just enough to look clearly into his eyes as she continued.

"I know what happened between the two of you, and I know what's happened since. Blaine and I may not talk much, but I do try to keep track of what's important to him." Mrs. Anderson's voice was soft, but so emotional, and Kurt found himself wondering how he could have ever thought she was disinterested in her son and his life. "I also know he still loves you, and since you're here I think you might feel the same."

Kurt took a deep, steadying breath. Of all the situations he had thought he might run across tonight, and had prepared scripts for on the too long flight, this one hadn't even flickered in his mind as being possible. All he could do was speak from the heart. "We're not a couple anymore, Mrs. Anderson, and we both understand that we might never be again. But we're still best friends, and yes, we still love each other. And if he wants me to stay, I will. Although I certainly wasn't expecting the offer."

Her eyes filled with tears, "I can't help him, Kurt. I've done everything I can think of, but he still can't sleep. He's barely eating, he just lays on his bed and stares into space. He went to school today, and he said they did something in the glee club that helped a little, but he jumps at the smallest sounds, and…"

"Mrs. Anderson." Kurt interrupted softly. "That's normal. It just takes time."

"I know that, I was researching reactions to events like this for half of the day!" Her voice raised in anger before dropping into a tone of utter defeat. "But he's my baby, and he's hurting, and it kills me that I can't do anything."

"I know how you feel." Kurt whispered softly, daring to pull her into another hug, which was warmly received. "He'll be okay, he's too strong to not get over this."

"He'll need your strength, too." She replied even as she pulled back.

"That's why I'm here." Kurt answered softly. "Can I just go up?"

Mrs. Anderson nodded softly. "I'll be in the living room if either of you need anything."

"Thank you, Mrs. Anderson." Kurt replied, still amazed at how this interaction had progressed. It was sad that it took an incident like this for it to happen.

"You're an adult now, Kurt." She said softly as she withdrew. "Call me Sarah. And thank you for loving my baby."

"I kinda can't help it." Kurt whispered under his breath, staring after her for a long moment before giving himself a small shake. He could contemplate this more later.

He took the stairs two at a time.

Time seemed to blur as he reached the landing, nearly jogging by now, and burst through the open door of Blaine's room. The next breath he took he was on the bed, his arms full of Blaine. Blaine's face was buried in the crook of his neck, arms clutching him as tightly and close as he could. He leaned down, kissing Blaine's forehead before resting his cheek on his temple, hands running over his back as if to assure himself the boy in his arms was really real, was really okay.

"I'm so glad you're here. I wanted you to come so much but I was afraid to ask." Blaine sobbed out. "I was holding it together at school, under that calm, controlled mask only you ever got to see under. But I don't really know how to deal with this. I don't know how to feel safe again."

Kurt tightened his arms, kissing Blaine's forehead again. "What can I do?"

"Exactly what you are." Blaine whispered, breath hitching. "Your arms were always the safest place in the world."

Kurt's heart nearly shattered, because he had always felt the same way, and damn it he still did, he realized, thinking back to Christmas. "I'm here, sweetheart. For as long as you need me."

He knew the words were true even as he was surprised that they were. He would miss work if he needed to, and classes, and whatever it took for as long as it took. Because that was what you did for someone you loved. That was what you did for the most important person in your life.

And with that thought, the last kernel of pain he had still harbored over Blaine cheating on him just washed away. It just didn't seem to matter anymore, not when there was still so much love.

"Blaine." Kurt's voice came out almost beseeching, and something in the tone had Blaine pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. Kurt held eye contact for a long moment, one of his hands sliding up to cup Blaine's cheek.

He had been thinking about this since it occurred to him soon after he and Blaine had hung up the day before, how he would have felt if Blaine had died before he could forgive him. He's pretty sure he would have gone to his grave regretting it. If he had thought of it the day before he would have texted that forgiveness to Blaine.

It had to have been even worse for Blaine, thinking he might die without being forgiven. Kurt knew him well enough to know that it was something he thought about often, even if he didn't ever let it show.

"Blaine, I forgive you." Kurt had never meant any words more, except maybe when he used to tell Blaine that he loved him.

Blaine's eyes widened in shock and amazement, and then the tears started flowing again, even harder than before. He threw himself back against Kurt's chest, curling up and clinging unashamedly.

Kurt just continued to rub his back, murmuring soothingly until he felt the tears starting to slow, and Blaine began to grow heavier in his arms.

Outside, someone slammed a car door, and he felt Blaine's entire body tense.

"It's okay, sweetheart." Kurt whispered. "I'm here. Everything's okay."

The tension relaxed at once, and he heard Blaine mumble that he loved him before his body relaxed into sleep.

"I love you, too." Kurt breathed back. "Always."

It didn't hurt to say it anymore.

Kurt cuddled down on the bed a little more, getting comfortable, and even in sleep Blaine unconsciously shifted with him. Kurt let his thoughts drift as he held Blaine, occasionally whispering and stroking when Blaine seemed to get agitated.

An undetermined amount of time later, he looked up when he heard a small rustle in the doorway, and saw Mrs An… Sarah, he reminded himself, standing there with a few tears trailing down her face.

He offered her a small smile, which she returned even as she mouthed 'thank you' before hitting the light switch by the door and casting the room into darkness.

The soft click of the door closing didn't disturb Blaine.

Kurt stayed awake until dawn, just thinking and watching Blaine breath.

TBC…

The second/last part should be out in a few days.