A/N: This is a bit more sombre than my previous offerings, but hopefully worth it.

Blaine tried in vain to grab Kurt's attention with every trick he knew. His leg brushed casually against Kurt's under the table at the Lima Bean cafe. With every sip of coffee he placed the cup back on the table between them deliberately close to Kurt's so that their knuckles grazed. He hummed along to the ambient music, harmonising and floating the high notes of the Dido song in a deliberate attempt to tear his boyfriend's eyes away from the phone in front of him.

Eventually, he grew impatient. "Kurt, the point of us meeting up and having coffee - aside from drinking said coffee -" he clarified with a smile that Kurt didn't see, "is to actually talk, ya know... catch up now that we can't spend as time together during school hours."

Blaine watched as Kurt let out a slow, quiet sigh and put his phone down in front of him, clicking the lock button so the screen went black. He waited with more patience than he thought he had as Kurt took a sip of his coffee and only then raised his eyes to make contact with Blaine's. It was then that Blaine knew something was up... that Kurt's silence wasn't just fatigue, complacency or boredom.

"Hey...", Blaine let go of his coffee cup to enclose his fingers around Kurt's. "I'm sorry if I sounded impatient, what's going on?" He thought he saw or heard Kurt's voice hitch in his throat, as Kurt's hand absentmindedly brushed his hair to the side above his forehead in that deliberate way he tended to do so when he was stalling for time, before finally he spoke.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit distracted." Kurt said in a calm voice, his eyes closed as he collected his thoughts. "You remember Ms Sylvester, the cheerleading coach at McKinley?" Kurt opened his eyes and looked directly at Blaine.

"The crazy one who wears the tracksuits?" Blaine asked, puzzled at what Kurt could be getting at.

"Yeah." Kurt answered, still speaking calmly and deliberately. "Obviously as you've seen she isn't the nicest of people - she's overly competitive, manipulative and even mean."

Blaine's mind was racing ahead of Kurt's words as he tried to piece together scenarios that could lead to a story about Ms Sylvester being relevant. "What has she-"

"No, no - she hasn't done anything to me or one of the other Glee members," Kurt added, his voice finally losing some of the calm monotone it had had, becoming higher and breathier. "She..." Kurt's voice hitched in his throat again. "Well she had a sister who was everything she wasn't - kind, thoughtful, playful..." Kurt's voice has sped up and the words were tumbling out. "The complete opposite of a horrible person, and..." he stopped for a moment, his eyes looking off to the side as he shook his head imperceptibly, as if he couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Had a sister?" Blaine asked quietly.

Kurt's eyes flicked back to meet Blaine's, his next words coming out in a bursting jumble:

"Her-sister-who-seemed-the-sweetest-and-most-beautiful-person-died-of-pneumonia-last-night."

Kurt's face pinched and he took in a breath sharply before holding it in; holding everything in it seemed.

"Oh Kurt," Blaine felt his body deflate and suddenly the air in the room seemed to weigh in on them both. He moved his other hand so that both his hands cushoined Kurt's. "Did you know her very well?"

Kurt laughed with a twisted, ironic smile. "That's just it," he exclaimed shrilly, shrugging his shoulders, breaking contact with Blaine and raising both hands in incomprehension. "I didn't even know she - Jean, that is - existed until this morning when I found out she died; but..." he stopped speaking, breathed out fully and leaned his elbows on the table, letting his head fall into his hands.

Blaine watched his boyfriend carefully, not really understanding but knowing that somehow this had had a significant impact on Kurt.

"But...?" Blaine reached both his hands out, traced them up Kurt's arms from his elbows until he had captured each hand in his, forcing Kurt to lift his head and look at him. "Tell me, Kurt."

"Well," Kurt seemed to be trying to find the words, looking to the ceiling. "It's just seeing the impact it has had on Ms Sylvester - she's destroyed," he added, looking back at Blaine. "As much as I abhor so much of what Ms Sylvester does, I can't help but feel for her... it just doesn't seem fair."

Blaine watched as Kurt sunk back into the chair he was sitting in, folding in on himself as he reached for his phone and turned his attention back to whatever he had been doing before. Blaine too sat back in his chair, and watched Kurt carefully for a moment. As much as he wanted to just make everything better for Kurt, he didn't understand exactly what it was that was wrong; much less what he could do to help. He thought back over the - admittedly few - months he had known Kurt. Kurt was usually so expressive an open. Even when he was having a hard time with Karofsky, or after Pavarotti died, he'd never shut out the world like this before. He'd never shut Blaine out.

Blaine slid his chair back slowly and stood up. He took the now-empty coffee cups from the table and placed them in the trash, noting that Kurt didn't react to the movement at all. He returned to the table, standing at Kurt's side this time.

"Hey," Blaine placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder softly, rubbing his thumb against the cool fabric. "Let me drive you home."

Kurt seemed to have a delayed reaction to Blaine's presence, and when he finally looked up from his phone it was with an irritated sigh. "You just cost me the high score in tetris," he said listlessly, putting the phone in his jacket pocket.

"Sorry," Blaine said simply, deducing that this was not the moment for any humorous quips or remarks. "I'm sure you'll get it next time, but let me take you home first?"

Kurt stood up slowly, still disconnected from the rest of the space around him, and slung his bag over his shoulder. Blaine placed his hand in the small of Kurt's back to lead him out of the cafe, and Kurt let him do so as the boys walked out of the store in silence.

Outside, the yellowing light of the late afternoon tinged the streetscape with a sickly but cold hue, and a cool, sharp wind whipping at Blaine's neck made him glad for the scarf he was wearing. He was squinting into the dipping sun to keep his eyes on Kurt ahead of him. As approached the car he slowed down before stopping at the passenger door. Blaine hit unlocked the car using the remote but Kurt just stood there, a totem pole worn down by the sun's fading rays, waiting in silence. Blaine opened the door for him and Kurt slid inside, eyes fixed - glazed - in front of him.

They drove home in silence. A couple of times Blaine put a supportive hand on Kurt's leg but the stiffening of Kurt's thigh muscles and shifting on the seat discouraged him each time. When they arrived at Kurt's place, Blaine again opened the door for Kurt, who seemed not to have noticed that they'd arrived. He stood on the sidewalk, blinking into the sunlight as he faced his house.

"Hey." Blaine had moved around Kurt, blocking the sun's light and looking straight into his eyes. The confusion and distance those eyes portrayed made him worry even more. Blaine wondered if Kurt even knew why he was reacting this way.

Despairing at the situation, Blaine pulled him into the best and biggest hug he could muster. "It's ok Kurt," he said softly into Kurt's neck. "I'm here."

Kurt softened at Blaine's touch and even put his arms around Blaine's smaller frame, breathing deeply into his scarf as a strangled noise came from his throat.

"Let's go inside and talk it out," Blaine said softly, and instantly wished he hadn't as Kurt stiffened again.

"No." Kurt's voice seemed angry - but at what? Blaine thought.

"I mean," Kurt stepped back from Blaine, closed his eyes and took a moment to compose himself. When he opened them again Blaine could see the distance that had been there before. Kurt spoke in a calm and detached way once more. "Just let it be," he said steadily. "I need to figure this out... by myself."

Blaine tried not to show how hurt he was as Kurt's apparent rejection of his support, and stepped back, nodding and bowing his head slightly. "Ok," he said, squeezing Kurt's arm one last time before stepping further back. "But you know where I am and you know I'm worrying about you, right?"

"Yeah," Kurt said distractedly, already walking towards his house. "I do. Thanks"

Blaine stood, stuck to the spot on the side of the road, transfixed through squinted eyes as Kurt continued into the house, not even looking back as he shut the door. As he turned to get back in the car, Blaine struggled to keep his own composure: knowing that Kurt seemed to be hurting so much; knowing that Kurt didn't seem to want Blaine's comfort; and knowing worst of all that he was, at that point, powerless to help.

A/N: This may seem odd/out of character but I promise I have a plan; a well-thought out one even. More to come.