A/N: This was written for a prompt on the Glee_Angst_Meme. I know I should be working on CYC, but it just spoke to me! Let me know what you think? Enjoy!

A/N2: Betaed by the wonderful Emberwillow14! 3

Original Prompt: Kurt transfers back to McKinley. Blaine, unwilling to let the distance break up his new romance, transfers as well. Things are going pretty well between the two, until a man walks into the school with a gun. He's clearly unstable, and he immediately focuses in on Kurt. He points a gun at Kurt, who looks desperately at Blaine, who is out of the man's view, and in a perfect position to tackle/stop him. He doesn't. He runs, leaving Kurt at the shooter's mercy. The man pulls the trigger, and a shot rings out. Kurt opens his eyes after a few moments, surprised that he isn't in any pain. He then sees the slumped body of David Karofsky in front of him, who had shielded him from the bullet.

WARNING: Character Death!

Shot Through The Heart

A lone figure stood in the shadows across the street, watching as students flocked into William McKinley High School. It was just after eight am right now; not really the most optimum time to set forth his plan. He knew, though, that the longer he waited the harder it would be to achieve. Once there was no one left outside to witness, he crossed the street and entered to school.

He had several specific targets: each and every one of the kids of the current Glee Club. He had been in the Glee Club once, and it had ruined him. He was just going to save these poor fools from the curse that follows everyone who joins the McKinley High Glee Club, and ruin it forever.

He grinned maliciously as he saw his first target, alone in a hallway. He quickly made his way over, slipping his hand into his pocket.

Kurt was rummaging around in his old locker, a small, content smile on his face as he searched for one of his text books. He knew that he should be angry; but he really couldn't bring himself to care that he was late for homeroom or that he had been slushied that morning already.

It was Friday, and the end of his first week back at McKinley. He was back at the only place he ever felt he really belonged: with New Directions. And he hadn't returned alone. Blaine had followed to make sure the distance wouldn't tear their new relationship apart.

Karofsky had even been leaving him alone.

All in all, Kurt was happy.

There was a shuffling noise behind him, but he figured it was just another late student, or maybe a teacher, who stopped to stare at his outlandish outfit. The last thing he expected to see after closing his locker and turning around was a large stranger standing there with a really big handgun pointing right at him.

Distantly, Kurt felt his text book slip from his hand, clattering noisily to the floor. Time seemed to slow to a stop. He could barely breathe; a horrible, paralyzing terror was flooding throughout his entire body. He had never felt so scared before in his life; not even at the height of the bullying which had eventually caused him to transfer to Dalton.

A sudden flash of movement behind the gunman caught Kurt's eye, and he discretely tried to see what it was. Relief rushed through him; Blaine was there. Blaine would be able to convince the man to put down his gun! Or, maybe at the very least, he could tackle the stranger! The point was, Blaine hadn't been seen by the gunman yet, so he was in the perfect position to help!

As Kurt watched, Blaine froze when he realized that a strange man was pointing a gun at his boyfriend. As Kurt watched, Blaine's eyes widened in shock and fear as he processed what was about to happen. As Kurt watched, Blaine shook his head in a silent apology before backing away slowly. As Kurt watched, Blaine turned around and ran silently back down the way he had just come from.

Kurt could feel his heart breaking a little as he watched his boyfriend disappear. He turned his attention back to the gunman, who had apparently been talking the entire time.

"- Because the damn Glee Club ruined my life!"

Kurt flinched slightly and tensed as the man pulled back the hammer of the gun. He vaguely noticed that the man's hand was shaking, and the gun was wavering minutely.

I'm going to die. The words flashed through his mind, and Kurt let out a soft whimper of despair. He didn't want to die; he didn't deserve to die. His mind turned to his father, who had already had to bury his first wife, Kurt's mother. His father would never be able to survive this. Well, Carole and Finn would probably help him through, keep him alive, but . . .

Kurt clenched his eyes shut as the gunman slowly squeezed the trigger, a strange pounding noise getting louder in his head, and then . . .

The gun went off.

Karofsky was late for school. He had been arriving ten minutes late for the whole week on purpose. Hummel had returned to McKinley, dragging his stupid, stuck up, prep school boyfriend along with him. Karofsky hated seeing them acting all lovey-dovey and affectionate with each other. It caused a pain deep in his chest that he refused to acknowledge, as well as a burning desire to punch the curly-haired freak in the face.

So Karofsky had taken to arriving late and avoiding Kurt's—Hummel's—favorite places to hang out. He was on thin ice already; the rest of the Gleeks had made it perfectly clear to him that if they caught wind of him even looking at Ku—Hummel the wrong way, they would make sure that he was expelled. For good this time.

That was why he assumed the halls were empty when he had entered the school. They should have been empty but . . . he stopped short after turning a corner.

A strange man was standing in the middle of the hallway, pointing a freaking huge handgun at . . . Kurt.

Karofsky could only hear this weird rushing noise in his ears as he focused his gaze on the smaller boy's trembling form pressed against the row of lockers. He felt the sudden hope radiating from Kurt as the boyfriend came into view. He felt that same hope die completely as Mr. Perfect ran away scared.

The effing coward left his boyfriend to die.

The rushing sound disappeared as the guy pulled back the hammer of the gun, and then Karofsky was off running. Except, unlike Kurt's boytoy, he ran towards the pair. He figured that if he tackled the guy, the gun could still go off and hit Kurt. So he did the only thing he could think of in this situation; as the shot was fired, he slid between the man and Kurt.

Karofsky collapsed as pain exploded in his chest, then everything went black.

There was a thump after the gunshot, then all was silent.

Once Kurt realized that he wasn't dead, or even in any pain, he opened his eyes. The gunman was still pointing that gun at him, but the man's shocked eyes were glued to the floor between them. Slowly Kurt directed his gaze downwards, afraid of what he would see.

He shrieked.

Karofsky was lying on the ground, apparently unconscious, with blood gushing out of the hole in his chest.

As the classroom doors burst open and people started pouring out into the halls to see what all of the commotion was about, Kurt fell to his knees into the rapidly growing pool of blood beside his tormentor and pressed his hands against the wound to try and slow the blood loss.

"Karofsky?" Kurt gasped, trying to wake the other boy up without removing his hands from the wound. "Dave! Wake up! Please, please, wake up!"

There was a crowd of people around them, staring in shock. A clattering noise rose out of the deafening silence as the gunman dropped his weapon.

"Why did he . . . Why would he . . ." the man stuttered, trying to back away from the scene. The crowd of students and teachers closed ranks and wouldn't let him through. "It was only supposed to be the Glee members!"

Sue and Figgins forced their way through the crowd and dropped to the floor beside the two teens. Figgins pulled out his cell phone to call an ambulance while Sue tried to pry Kurt away from Karofsky.

"Come on, Porcelain," the Cheerios coach said in a strangely soothing voice. "Let go. You're freaking out. You need to sit back and calm down. I'll take it from here."

"NO!" Kurt shrieked, surprising even himself. He clung tighter to Karofsky, getting the bigger boy's blood everywhere.

"All right, then, Porcelain." Sue rubbed his back comfortingly. "Just relax. The ambulance will be here soon. Tell us what happened. You!" She turned slightly to bark at Azimio and Strando. "Make sure that guy doesn't escape!"

Kurt sobbed loudly, realizing that he was crying.

Burt loved Fridays. There was no real specific reason as to why; he just did. It probably had something to do with the fact that it was the last day before the weekend. This Friday was no exception. Sure, it was only eight-thirty in the morning, but the sun was shining, there were no problems at the shop, and he had managed to sneak some bacon this morning without Kurt noticing.

And Kurt! Kurt was back at McKinley, and he was happy. Of course, that could have something to do with that boy he was seeing, as well.

The radio was even playing all of Burt's favorite songs. He turned it up as Pink Houses came on, smiling a little in remembrance of Kurt. Not that that particular memory was one to smile at; he just couldn't help but smile every time he thought of his son's happy face.

The song ended, and the announcer came back on. "Breaking news going on at William McKinley High School-"

Burt froze.

"It appears that there was an incident with a gun just after eight am this morning."

Burt dropped the wrench he was holding and ran over to the radio, his entire body shaking.

"A man entered the school just after eight this morning with a handgun. Only one shot was fired."

Distantly, Burt heard the shop phone ringing, but he ignored it. One of the other guys would pick it up.

"One student is confirmed dead."

Burt felt as though his heart stopped.

"Peter Geller was taken into custody at the scene. More to come as this action unfolds."

"Burt?"

Burt spun around to face his employee, who was holding a phone out to him.

"It's important."

Burt took the phone and slowly raised it to his ear. "This is Burt Hummel."

"Mr. Hummel, this is Sue Sylvester. There's been an incident at the school involving your son."

Kurt sat in the hospital room, staring down at his hands. He was still covered in Karofsky's blood. His clothes, his hands, his face. He could still feel the warm, sticky liquid escaping past his fingers as he tried to stop it. He could still hear the gunshot, still feel the fear of impending death, still hear the thump. In hindsight, he realized that the pounding noise he had heard right before Peter Geller had shot the gun was Karofsky running towards them.

Kurt could still feel the life leave the boy who had tormented him; the boy who saved his life.

Karofsky had saved his life, giving up his own in the process.

Kurt was just waiting for his dad to come pick him up. He had already talked to the police, given his statement, and been checked out by a doctor to make sure he was uninjured. Now he was just waiting for his dad. The others, all of his friends, were in the waiting room. He knew that. He knew that they would be in the room if he wanted. But he only wanted his dad.

He needed his dad.

Besides, Blaine was out there. Blaine, the boy he was in love with, and who claimed to love him back. Blaine, the boy who had seen him standing there with a gun pointed at him, and ran away.

Kurt didn't know how he felt about that yet. He was hurt by it, yes, but . . .

It was Blaine. He loved Blaine.

It was Karofsky that saved his life, though. Karofsky, who was now in the morgue.

Kurt didn't know how to feel about anything right now. It seemed like the whole world was turned upside down.

"Kurt?" The door burst open and there was his father, rushing in and gathering Kurt in his arms. "I heard on the radio . . . Thought I lost you."

"Dad," Kurt whispered, clinging to his father's shirt. Just like he had with Karofsky's jacket. "Dad, I thought I was going to die. But Karofsky . . ."

"Shh, I got you, kiddo," Burt hushed soothingly. "I know; I talked to the police."

Kurt sobbed into his father's neck.

He was crying for the bully who had lost his life protecting one of his victims.

It had been a closed funeral, at Karofsky's parents' request. Just family and close friends. Kurt didn't know if he would have gone if it was open, anyway. He suspected that they blamed him a little bit for their only child's premature death.

It was a month after the shooting. Things at McKinley had gone back to normal for most of the students. But Kurt couldn't use his locker anymore; he could still see the pool of blood on the floor, even though it had been cleaned up as soon as possible. Finn let him use his locker instead.

Blaine had apologized repeatedly for running away. However, Kurt broke things off temporarily, while he came to terms with what had happened. He really didn't think he could deal with a relationship on top of the grief and guilt he was constantly feeling.

It was a Friday. Kurt had stayed home from school because he hadn't been feeling well, and he had trouble sleeping the night before (the nightmares were the worst; the gunshot and the thump, over and over again). It was a spur of the moment decision. He had driven to the graveyard before he could change his mind.

The headstone was so new; there were fresh flowers on the grave.

David Karofsky, the headstone read. A good son and friend that shall be sorely missed.

Kurt stared at the fresh grave. Now that he was there, he didn't know what to do, to say. He could feel tears falling down his cheeks. He cried so much these days; it was infuriating.

"Thank you for saving my life," he finally whispered. It was best to keep it simple. He turned to walk slowly back to his Navigator. There was nothing left for him to do.

Though, he guessed it couldn't hurt to visit that grave whenever he visited his mother's.