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“In breaking news, the conviction of Roxie Schmidt for the murder of her four-year-old son has been reversed after DNA evidence found at the scene was re-tested as a part of a grant given to the state by the Justice Department to help clean up the corruption in the crime lab. The DNA came back as a match to Reginald Flowers. Flowers was convicted of murdering five boys in the area.”

“Ms. Schmidt, through her attorneys, expressed her joy that DNA proved her innocence. She hopes to fight for other parents who have been wrongly convicted.”

“The detectives at the heart of her conviction, Julio Ballesteros and Cooper Anderson, have found themselves on the wrong side of the law recently. The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into allegations that they coerced witnesses and fabricated evidence in a number of cases from two-thousand-seven through two-thousand-twelve.”

“We tried to reach Ballesteros and Anderson for comment, but neither would return our calls.”

“Cooper Anderson is currently running for re-election to the State House of Representatives. We’ll keep you updated as the investigation progresses.”

Blaine sat transfixed as the news anchor recounted the charges against his brother. This was the third network, and the third time he’d heard the allegation, and he still couldn’t believe it was true. He knew Cooper. Sure he teased Blaine while they were growing up, and quite often talked Blaine into taking the fall for him. But he only did that because he knew Blaine wouldn’t get punished as strictly as he would have, and Cooper always made it up to him by taking him to get ice cream or to the park whenever Blaine wanted. That’s what brothers did for each other. Right? But the Cooper Blaine knew would never coerce confessions or fabricate evidence. He’d wanted to be a police detective ever since he started watching reruns of Columbo with Blaine after Blaine had been assaulted when he was thirteen. Blaine liked that he could zone in and out of the show and not miss much of the plot. Cooper had been drawn to the over-dramatic acting.

Blaine had been proud when he watched Cooper walk across the stage and shake the police commissioner’s hand at his graduation from the police academy. And he was proud every time Cooper was promoted and moved up the ranks. He’d even skipped school the first time one of the cases Cooper investigated as a detective went to trial. He’d sat through the whole thing, even the boring parts, then he and Cooper had celebrated when the verdict came back guilty.

Over the years, as Blaine went off to college and then began his own career, he and Cooper had drifted apart. But he still believed in Cooper. And he wanted to believe that Cooper would always fight for justice, and never fall into the ‘solve cases quickly at whatever cost’ mentality.

He felt sick to his stomach listening to the news anchor talk about his brother and his partner being culpable in something so wrong. He knew Cooper wouldn’t do anything to frame an innocent person for such a heinous crime. Cooper was a good man, slightly overdramatic, but a good man nonetheless. Cooper had proven himself over and over again to Blaine; any time Blaine needed him, for any reason, Cooper was there as quickly as possible. He was Blaine’s biggest supporter, in return, Blaine was his.

He sat on his couch, stunned, for so long that the late news was finishing before he came back to himself. He wanted to do something for Cooper, but he had no idea how he could help. He’d already devoted all his free time to helping in Cooper’s re-election; he only hoped these allegations wouldn’t hurt his chances. When he finally made himself get off the couch and go to bed, he tossed and turned until exhaustion finally took him into a restless slumber. He woke after too few hours and got ready for work on autopilot.

Blaine tried to call his brother, for the nth time, but his call was met with “You’ve reached Cooper Anderson. I’m currently out, either on the campaign trail or in a meeting. Leave a message and I’ll call you back when I can.” Perfectly understandable considering all that he had going on in his life at the moment, not to mention what was sure to be every news outlet in the state trying to get a comment from him. He followed up his unsuccessful phone call with a text asking Cooper to call him.

~*~*~*~

Months went by before Blaine heard more than “I’m fine, little brother. Don’t believe everything you hear.” from Cooper. The silence was enough to make Blaine begin to question what he thought he knew about his brother. Deep down he hoped that all the allegations against Cooper were false, but he couldn’t help thinking that maybe they were true. The one time he’d met Julio, Blaine had been surprised at how Cooper seemed to defer to him.  The Cooper Blaine grew up with was always quick to tease, and loved to make people laugh. The Cooper Blaine saw after he began working with Julio Ballesteros was one who seemed to always be on the lookout for the bad in people. He would get right up into the personal space of whomever he was talking to and point at them to hammer home his point in the conversation. Cooper followed Julio’s lead, and his mannerisms seemed to belong more to Julio than himself.

Blaine had never understood why Cooper changed so much after he began working with Julio. Cooper had never been so malleable, he’d always tried to mold Blaine to be more like him; Blaine hadn’t followed in his brother’s footsteps. He shied away from an over dramatic lifestyle. He hoped the Schmidt case was the only one that would potentially cause problems for Cooper. He still had complete faith in the goodness of Cooper, but he also had faith that the justice system worked the way it was supposed to work. He spent much of his time, after the news broke, conflicted. If Cooper believed in the legal system, believed that justice would prevail, why would he need to fabricate forensic evidence or coerce a confession from someone? For his whole life, Blaine had looked up to Cooper and he thought they shared the same values of right and wrong. Maybe what he thought he knew wasn’t true anymore. Maybe he needed to re-evaluate what he knew about Cooper.

During this time, despite all the allegations against Cooper and Julio, Cooper had continued to serve his constituents and had even won re-election. Blaine was proud of his brother for continuing on his chosen path. Blaine, however, had spent his free time time trying to read everything he could get his hands on related to Cooper and Julio, and how they conducted investigations. Unfortunately, newspapers and magazines  wanted to tell their stories in more sensational ways, playing up the way the police were out for the ‘little guy’ and would stop at nothing to make the evidence suit the suspect instead of use the evidence to find the suspect.  

Because he couldn’t find what he wanted in the mainstream media, Blaine moved on to secondary media sources. He spent many late nights trolling through Google searches on every keyword he could think of hoping to find something that would help him understand why Cooper was being accused of something so terrible.  One of his late nights consisted of searching through all the podcasts with the phrase ‘police corruption’ anywhere in the summary. He listened to random snippets of the ones he thought were most promising.

The very last snippet he listened to proved to be the most promising, not to mention life changing. He was intrigued by the name: This Virtual Life. The description of the podcast promised ‘an unbiased look into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Jenna Alcantara along with the police investigation and conviction of Odin Karlin’. There was something soothing about the voice, along with the way the speaker organized his thoughts. Blaine was mesmerized from the beginning. He subscribed to the podcast and set all the episodes to download while he slept.

As soon as he woke up, Blaine began listening to the podcast. The first episode gave some personal information about the host along with what the host hoped to achieve with the podcast.

Hello! Welcome to This Virtual Life. I’m Kurt Hummel and I’ll be your host. This podcast will cover many things: life, fashion, Broadway, art, pretty much anything that comes to mind. And I will also discuss something that has become somewhat of an obsession of mine recently.

In two thousand eight, Jenna Alcantara was found murdered in a wooded area two hours from the location of her company’s Labor Day party. The last people to see her alive were her personal assistant and his boyfriend. They saw her walking across the parking lot which didn’t seem unusual at the time. Jenna never made it home.

The police investigation pointed to a man named Odin Karlin, who Jenna had dated briefly years before her murder. Her son, Julius, was one of the key witnesses in the case against Odin Karlin.

Odin Karlin was convicted of murder in two thousand nine. I remember hearing the news stories about this case and wondering how the police came to discover that Odin was the person who murdered Jenna Alcantara. I know, I know, I didn’t know anything about the case other than what was reported on the news, but there was something about what I heard that just didn’t seem right. I followed the trial, as much as I could while I finished high school and then went to college. Like many people, I began listening to the podcast Disorder , which I suggest you check out. Like many people, I began wondering how a jury could conclude that Odin Karlin had raped and murdered Jenna Alcantara. During my initial reading of news accounts, two names popped out at me, Julio Ballesteros and Cooper Anderson. If those names don’t sound familiar, let me refresh your memory. The two detectives who were recently in the news for, allegedly, fabricating DNA evidence which helped convict Roxie Schmidt for the murder of her son. So, not only is this case one I remember it also involves some of the same players from the news.

I don’t know if Ballesteros and Anderson did anything other than investigate the murder; their alleged evidence fabrication could be a new development, or it could be something they’ve done since they became police officers. I don’t know, and I don’t know if it really matters one way or another.

I also don’t know if Odin is guilty or not, and at this point I’m not sure that matters as much as whether he was railroaded into a life sentence. If the evidence was there, like the prosecution still contends, then there was no need for the police to fabricate evidence or coerce testimony from what they have called an eye witness. I hope that through my investigation and with your help we can make some sense of what happened to put Odin Karlin at the top of the police’s short list of suspects.

I’m going to tackle this like I would any other research. I’m good at research, part of my job entails doing loads of research in a short amount of time. The problem I think I’ll run across is accessibility to official documents and also the willingness of those people involved to talk to me. I’ll do my best to contact the witnesses and talk to them about their testimony, but I’m guessing that most of them will want nothing to do with me or my investigation. And that’s completely understandable. What I will ask you to do, listeners, is to not harass them. If you have a way to find out where they live, or their contact info, please don’t use it to guilt them into participating. Imagine how you’d feel if you were in their situation. Jenna Alcantara’s murder and the trial of Odin Karlin was probably the worst time in their lives, and they may not want to relive that time. They’ve put it all behind them; let them live in anonymity if that’s what they want.

So, while I listened to Disorder, I started  jotting down questions I had, and then tried to find the answers. I had no idea how to go about finding answers to my questions, but I had been to college; I knew how to do research. I figured the approach was the same... how hard could it be? I’ve always thought people who ask that question didn’t know what they were getting into. And in this case I was right. Turns out, research for a college paper is not the same as researching a murder case. Especially one that was in the appeals process and had real people involved.

I tried contacting Odin directly, but he continued to claim innocence in the one letter he sent back. That’s all, he didn’t answer any of my questions. And now I can understand why. The appeals process can take years and in some cases decades. Anything he says, and especially writes, could be used against him, so his refusal is completely understandable.

I then tried to contact the prosecutor, Sue Sylvester, thinking maybe she’d be willing to tell me something to help me understand why Odin was the person charged with the crime. I won’t repeat her exact words, they’re not meant for polite company, or for impolite company for that matter. So, nothing from the prosecutor; nothing from the police either. My last hope was Odin’s defense attorney, Will Schuester. I had a bit more luck with him. He agreed to talk with me over the phone, but didn’t promise to tell me anything more than what was in the public record.

Our conversation was very enlightening. He talked about why the police latched on to Odin so quickly and how he assumed they did their investigation. He also talked about the next steps in Odin’s journey through the legal system.He explained that while he was currently working on Odin’s first appeal, he wouldn’t be surprised if Odin fired him and sought other counsel. If that were to happen, it would be because Odin felt he hadn’t done everything he could while defending him. While he hoped to continue on throughout Odin’s appeal, Mr. Schuester understands that clients need to do what’s in their best interests, and sometimes that includes claiming ineffective assistance of counsel. It’s a fact of life for defense attorneys, especially in murder cases.

So, that’s why I’m doing this podcast. I feel like I can understand what happened if I talk about it, and I think doing a podcast will make more sense than talking to myself. I hope that you’ll join me as I work through my thoughts and hopefully we can help make some sense of the situation. If anyone has ideas or theories they’d like to share, or knows anyone involved with the case, let me know. My e-mail address is listed in the description for this episode.

Until next time, listeners. Goodbye.

Blaine really enjoyed listening to Kurt’s first episode. He was glad to find someone who hadn’t vilified Cooper right off the bat; someone who was willing to be open minded. He spent his ride to work listening to the second episode.

Hello! Welcome to This Virtual Life. I’m Kurt Hummel and I’ll be your host. This podcast will cover many things: life, fashion, Broadway, art, pretty much anything that comes to mind. And I will also discuss something that has become somewhat of an obsession of mine recently.

Welcome to the second episode! Glad you came back to listen and thank you for all your wonderful e-mails. Many of you have expressed interest in helping me make sense of how  Odin Karlin became a suspect in Jenna Alcantara’s case,  and was ultimately convicted of rape and murder.

I received offers of help in research and a couple of people suggested ways in which I can get the documents I need to help us make sense of the situation. I have looked into the process of getting the transcripts of the trial, and I’ll talk about that a bit later. To all of you who know somebody who knows somebody involved in the case, thank you for sharing their contact info with me, but I’m not going to start contacting them. They need to get in touch with me. Feel free to give them my e-mail address, if they want to talk to me, they can contact me. But please, don’t harass them. I don’t want them to feel like they’re being pulled into this. I’d rather them jump in on their own.

So. Having gotten that out of the way, I’d like to talk a bit about where I think things are going to get a bit tricky. I contacted the court and found out that to get trial transcripts is fairly easy, but also expensive, at least for a guy in an entry level job in a design house, living with four roommates in a three bedroom apartment. So, I’m going to set up a donation link; I’ll put a link in the episode description and appreciate anything you can spare as a donation. I’ll try to limit the number of times I talk about the need for funding for these things.

On to the main event! I’m going to read a couple emails I found interesting. I don’t necessarily agree with these e-mails, but I found them compelling.

The first e-mail is from Rosalie Jordan. “Hey Kurt! I found your podcast by accident, and listened on purpose. I just want to say that I think what you’re doing is admirable, but I feel like you’re going to be very disappointed when you have no impact on the outcome of the case. I’m pretty sure that Karlin was justly convicted, I mean the prosecutor obviously presented all the evidence they had and a jury found him guilty. So, I don’t see anything you can do. I probably won’t listen very often, especially when you talk about rape and murder. I’m much more interested in your thoughts on life and fashion. Can’t wait until you get a clue and make the transition to things that matter.”

Well, Rosalie, I’m sorry you feel this way and you’re free to listen or not as you see fit. Just because a jury found him guilty doesn’t necessarily mean that he did it. There’s something off about the investigation by both the police and the prosecutor. I can’t put my finger on it, yet, but I’m not going to give up until I’ve opened every closet and rummaged through all the boxes. I’ve spent my life looking for things in closets and came out of my own closet years ago. I know how to persevere in the face of doubters, and I will work my hardest to prove you wrong.

Next is an e-mail from Charley Bevins. “Oh my god, Kurt! You are so adorable! I don’t know what you look like, but I’m pretty sure you’re my future husband. I have a theory, other than our upcoming wedding of course. I think that one of the detectives knew Odin, maybe Odin dated his sister and broke her heart. Or Odin stole his girlfriend in high school and the detective never got over it. When he saw Odin was a witness, and potential suspect he decided to pin the murder on Odin as revenge for the broken heart. I hope you succeed in what you’re doing, and I can’t wait to meet you one day. I know we will.”

Oh! Wow! Thank you Charley, um I don’t know how to reply to you. Um, I’m flattered, but I think I’d rather find my husband the old fashioned way, through meddling friends setting me up with a continuous stream of ‘the one’. Or a chance meeting in the produce section over the perfect melon; any rom-com meeting will do.

It took three days for Blaine to listen to the back episodes of This Virtual Life. There were segments that got under Blaine’s skin and almost made him want to stop listening, but he couldn’t stop despite the host’s contention that the detectives should be held accountable for the injustice perpetrated by their evidence fabrication and witness coercion. Blaine was still loathe to believe that his brother, the brother who supported him when he came out to their parents and who dropped everything to sit at his bedside after he was assaulted, would knowingly put innocent people in prison.

On Friday night Blaine had an invitation from his friend, Sam, to go to a bar with some of the people Sam worked with. Sam had been trying to set Blaine up with ‘the perfect guy, dude. You guys have so much in common, it’s like you were made for each other’. But he had so much on his mind, he didn’t think he’d be able to carry on a conversation with Sam, much less a complete stranger. He gave Sam a raincheck and a promise not to blow him off next time, and then went home and wrote down all the reasons why Kurt Hummel was wrong about Cooper.

He spent hours trying to refute every point Kurt made, but all Blaine had to go on was his gut and what he knew of Cooper the brother, not Cooper the homicide detective. When he was finished it was well into Saturday morning, but he felt better for putting everything into writing. Before his mind could catch up with his hands, Blaine had copied everything into an e-mail addressed to This Virtual Life and pressed ‘send’.

Kurt,

I want to start off by telling you how much I’ve enjoyed your podcast. I spent three days listening to all the episodes and am eagerly anticipating the next. I searched for a podcast that would discuss the murder of Jenna Alcantara in a thoughtful way, and not just lambast the police who investigated her murder. I really appreciate that you have been looking at the big picture and trying to find the truth, or as much of the truth as one can find in this kind of situation. Keep up the good work.

You probably won’t believe me when I tell you that my brother is one of the detectives who investigated the murder, and is also being accused of fabricating evidence and coercing testimony. I want to make it clear that I don’t believe my brother would do what he’s being accused of. Growing up he always stood up for me when the other kids on the playground would call me names, and later when they became violent towards me, he was the one I went to. Up until I ended up in the hospital because of that violence, he wanted to become an actor. After the justice system didn’t work in punishing the boys that put me in the hospital, my brother changed his career path. He went to college and then the police academy and worked his way up to homicide detective. The Jenna Alcantara case was one of the first cases he worked, and he has carried it with him ever since.

I know that none of that will convince you that he has been wrongfully accused, but I hope you continue to keep an open mind while you investigate.

I want to clarify a few things from your episodes so far. Keep in mind, these are my thoughts and beliefs, I have not discussed this case with my brother, or anyone else related to the case.

1. The police had no reason to frame Odin Karlin for the rape and murder of Jenna Alcantara. They didn’t know either of them; they were just doing their job to the best of their ability. Why would they go through the steps to fabricate DNA evidence, or coerce confessions or testimony from someone? It seems to be a lot more work than just following the evidence as it’s presented.
2. If the police did, in fact, frame Odin Karlin, why? What reason would they have to frame an innocent man for raping and murdering Jenna Alcantara? Nobody has been able to give an explanation for how Odin ended up in this situation. The only thing anyone has said is that he’s innocent and the police framed him; neither he nor his attorney has answered the question I’m sure everyone has: Why?
3. People keep saying that Odin’s reaction, or non-reaction, to Jenna’s disappearance seemed off for someone who claims to have had feelings for her at one time. They cite that as the sole reason why the detectives framed him. I don’t believe the police put that much thought into his reaction; they have seen many reactions to the news that someone is missing and/or dead. Some people just don’t break down right away. Some put on a brave face in front of people and let their emotions out in private. I just don’t think this is a valid reason for framing someone for murder.
4. Many people have said that the fact that Odin lied about offering Jenna a ride home points to his guilt. I can see their point, and I agree this makes him look guilty; but doesn’t it also mean that the police wouldn’t have a reason to fabricate evidence or coerce testimony? If you’re found to have lied about something this important, wouldn’t that mean that other things you’ve said in regards to that situation also be called into question? It seems to me, with the discovery of the lie, the police were one step closer to proving that Odin Karlin raped and murdered Jenna Alcantara. There’s no need to create evidence to help you prove your case.
5. One of the most damning pieces of evidence against Odin were Jenna’s journal entries. I’m sure you’ve read the trial transcripts by now, so you know that she was feeling like Odin had an unhealthy fixation on her (my words, not hers). I think those entries help point toward the guilt of Odin Karlin, and that there was no need for the police to do anything in regards to creating evidence where none exists.
6. Phone call to Odin’s current girlfriend made from the vicinity of where Jenna’s body was found within two hours of the estimated time of death. Once again, with this kind of evidence why would the police need to fabricate anything? The man they have in custody has stated that he’s never been near the location, but his girlfriend gets a phone call which can be traced to that specific location? That seems like a bunch of coincidences, if it wasn’t you. I know she says she doesn’t remember who the call was from, and that the call log shows it came from a number that wasn’t Odin’s, but who else could it have been? What are the odds that someone else who knew her would call her from the general location of where Jenna Alcantara’s body was found? On the day she was murdered, and within hours of the estimated time of death? I’d guess the odds were pretty small.

I’m sure there’s more to discuss, but I think I’ve hit the points I wanted to. Please continue to keep an open mind; I know that my brother wouldn’t do anything he’s being accused of doing. He’s many things, but never someone who would frame an innocent man, or a not so innocent man, for that matter.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to your next episode.

Blaine Anderson

(P.S. I’d appreciate your not sharing this with your listeners. I don’t want to cause my brother any more problems than he’s already got.)

Despite all the work he’d put into his very detailed email to This Virtual Life, Blaine didn’t check his email for days. He spent the rest of Saturday either sleeping or cleaning his apartment. Sunday he did his grocery shopping and laundry before meeting his friends for their weekly early dinner and drinks. He was in bed at a reasonable hour, and Monday morning came early and most unwelcome. By Tuesday afternoon Blaine had caught up with his tasks at work and finally felt like he could attempt more than face-planting into bed after a quick sandwich for dinner. He decided to grab something from his favorite restaurant on his way home and spend a bit of time checking out his favorite auction sites before taking a relaxing bath and crawling into bed.

While waiting for his dinner, he checked his personal email account on his phone and almost dropped the phone when he saw a number of messages from not only This Virtual Life, but also from Kurt Hummel. He scrolled down to the first one and, with a trembling finger, opened the message. At first glance, it seemed very much like a form letter thanking him for participating in the discussion. He noticed that toward the end of the message a couple of his points were added after the phrase “I would enjoy hearing more about your thoughts on”. He closed that message and opened the next, which seemed to be a personal message from Kurt.

Blaine,

It was nice hearing from you. You are the first person I’ve had any direct contact with who is related to the case. I understand your desire to not cause problems for your brother and I promise to not read your e-mail on air, but I’d like to discuss a few of your points in more depth. We can do it via e-mail, or I can call you and we can discuss them over the phone. I’d like to get a little more insight into how you perceive your brother’s role in the investigation, and why you are so adamant that he’d never fabricate evidence or coerce testimony.

You mentioned that your brother gave up a career in acting to go into law enforcement, so I have to ask: how do you know he’s not performing when he states his non-involvement in the framing of Odin Karlin? I mean, if he’s a good enough actor to pursue it professionally why wouldn’t he be able to fool you and everyone he knows when he tells you he never did any of the things he’s been accused of? I don’t mean to offend you, but I’m curious.

Anyway, let me know if we can have a more in depth discussion about this case. I’ll await your reply.

Kurt Hummel

(P.S. Thank you for taking the time to listen and send such a well thought out email. I hope you are not receiving any backlash from your brother’s problems.)

Blaine re-read Kurt’s e-mail five times while he ate his dinner and got ready for bed. At first he was upset by Kurt’s questions. Cooper may have wanted to become an actor at one point, but everyone who knew him was relieved when he changed paths. Cooper didn’t really listen to criticism, and there’s probably no profession more critical than acting. Blaine had no qualms about whether Cooper was ‘acting’ when he said he’d never fabricated evidence or coerced testimony in his career; he wasn’t that good of an actor. Especially to his family and close friends. Of course, Kurt didn’t know any of that, and Blaine would never tell anyone that Cooper would never have made it as an actor.

The office was abuzz the next morning. Someone was going to be chosen to travel with one of their biggest clients while they toured North America promoting their latest album. If the first leg of the tour went well, there was a possibility of extending the tour to Europe. Whispers followed him as Blaine made his way to his desk, plugged in his laptop and checked his voicemail. The last message in his voicemail was from the president of his company requesting a meeting at nine thirty. He checked his watch and saw that he had just enough time to get to the seventh floor for the meeting.

His palms were sweating and he wished he’d had a bit more time to control his breathing before he was ushered into the president’s office. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t seeing his favorite singer sitting on one of the couches, smiling at him.

“Uhm, h-hi! I mean, hello Mr. Baldwin. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes! Blaine, this is Mercedes Jones. Mercedes, this is one of my best employees, Blaine Anderson.”

The smile on Mercedes Jones’ face lit up the whole room, and did nothing to slow the fluttering in Blaine’s chest. He had admired Mercedes Jones for years, ever since she released her first cover on YouTube. He’d dreamed of not only meeting her, but of working with her at some point. He’d applied for this job because he knew Mercedes Jones was a client. He cleared his throat and wiped his palms on his pants before stepping forward and saying, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Ms. Jones. I’ve been a fan for years.” He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, and hoped nobody else would recognize how flushed he was getting.

“The pleasure is mine, Blaine. Please call me Mercedes. We’ll be working together for the next few months. I’ve seen some of the work you’ve done for some of your other clients, and I hope to take advantage of your creativity and innovative way of looking at promotion.” She motioned to the chair next to her and said, “Please have a seat. We’ll have so much fun together. I can tell.”

Over the course of the next hour, Blaine learned that he had been handpicked for the most coveted assignment at the office. He was going on Mercedes Jones’ promotional tour, and she wanted to hear his ideas on the best way to get people excited about her new album. When he left the room, he walked in a daze toward his cubicle, not hearing anything  his co-workers said to him. He sat at his desk, put his head in his hands and began a combined giggle, sob and hiccup. He couldn’t stop the giggles taking over and they quickly became full-on laughter. He knew he should get himself under control, but he couldn’t seem to calm the laughter. He’d worked so hard for years to get a big client; and to have that client pick him, HIM, to work with? That had to be the best thing to happen to him since he got into NYU and moved to New York. Even better than his first boyfriend.

It took him ten minutes to get his laughter under control, during which time most of the people who had desks surrounding him gave him looks ranging from disdain to concern. He promised them that he was fine, just had a very surprising morning. He texted Sam.

Meet me at the bar, I have exciting news and need to celebrate.

Sam sent him a thumbs up followed by many exclamation marks. Blaine chuckled and then woke up his computer to begin putting his ideas for Mercedes Jones’ promotional tour into more than just the jumble in his head.

He spent the rest of the day putting together his presentation and coming up with as many ideas as he could. He lost track of time and only realized he was late to meet Sam when his phone buzzed with a text from Sam,

Dude! Where are you? Were you abducted by aliens? I’m ordering wings AND fried pickles! Get over here!

He chuckled as he read the message and quickly shut down his laptop before placing it into his messenger bag and heading out the door. Luckily the bar was a five minute walk from his office; he arrived at their usual table right after Sam’s food order did.

“Hey, Sam. Sorry I’m late, I got caught up in a new project and lost track of time.” He couldn’t keep the grin off his face, hard as he tried. “You’ll never believe who I’m working with! Go ahead, ask me.” He reached for a pickle and stuck it into his mouth while he waited for Sam to guess.

“Nope, not gonna play your games tonight. I know you’ll eventually tell me who, so I’m just gonna sit here and wait for the inevitable to happen.” Sam had that smug look people get when they know they’ve foiled your plans of drawing out your surprise.

Blaine leaned forward and poured himself a glass of beer from the pitcher in the center of the table, then sat back in the booth and took a long pull from the glass. He debated waiting Sam out, knowing Sam would break before he did because they’d done this before. But he was too excited. He wanted to share his news with someone who’d be as excited as he was. Plus, he knew Sam had a secret crush on Mercedes Jones.

He smiled at Sam and said, “What would you do if I told you that for the next three months I will be on tour with Mercedes Jones and in charge of the promotion of her new album?”

He watched as Sam swallowed the bite he’d taken and then looked at him like he had the cheat codes to every video game he’d ever tried to win, combined with a backstage pass to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

“Dude! That’s awesome! Have you met her yet? Is she as beautiful in person as she is in her videos? What does she smell like? I bet she smells like a summer breeze through a field of roses.” Sam sighed as he pictured Mercedes in his mind. “Tell me everything.”

Blaine laughed at Sam and took another drink of his beer before answering him. “I met her this morning. We spent an hour together talking about her tour and new album. She chose me personally because she saw some of my other projects. She is very beautiful in person. She didn’t really smell like anything, but I wasn’t really sniffing her. That’s kinda creepy, don’t you think?”

Sam blushed before he nodded his head. “Yeah, probably. But dude, if you ever get the chance, you have to go for it. And then tell me immediately. Promise me.”

Blaine chuckled. “Sure, Sam. If I ever get the chance to smell Mercedes, you’ll definitely be the first person I call. I’m sure it won’t get me fired or anything.”

“No! I don’t want you to get fired, just forget about it. I’ll just keep imagining what she’s like. The truth isn’t always good to know. But if you’re ever in the position to introduce us, feel free to do it. I won’t complain.”

Blaine signaled their server for another round and ordered burgers and fries for them. When they were finished eating and Blaine had paid the tab, he said “I’ll definitely introduce you to her. Maybe you can come to one of her concerts here in New York.”

Sam smiled at him and said, “You are the best friend ever. See you this weekend?”

“Yeah. See you,” Blaine said as they parted ways in front of the bar.

~*~*~*~

In all the excitement of the day, he hadn’t replied to Kurt’s email. He took the time to reply before bed.

Kurt,

Thank you for your speedy reply. I’d enjoy going more in depth on some of my points, but I’m afraid it’ll have to be via e-mail. I’m scheduled to travel for work for the next couple months, so setting up a time to talk over the phone will be difficult. We can do this however you want; one point at a time until I’ve brought you around to my way of thinking, or all points at the same time (until I’ve brought you around to my way of thinking).  Whichever will work best for you. I’m flexible.

Blaine

Blaine spent the rest of the week polishing his presentation. On Friday afternoon he met with Mercedes Jones and laid out his plan for her promotional tour and how he would work a European leg into his plan. Mercedes and her management changed a couple of minor things, and then signed off on the plan. Once the plan was finalized, Blaine packed up everything from the office he’d need for the next couple months. He had a lot of packing to do at home, and he had to meet up with his friends for lunch on Saturday. On his way home, Blaine checked his e-mail and found a message from Kurt.

Blaine,

I like that you’re flexible. I would love to go over one point at a time. I think it’ll work best that way. You sound like you’re going to be very busy for a while; if you want to hold off on this until you’re less busy, I understand. I know what it can be like to be stretched thin for a big project and I don’t want to put any more pressure on you than you’ll already have.

If you still want to do this, let’s work our way through your list starting with number 1.

1. The police had no reason to frame Odin Karlin for the rape and murder of Jenna Alcantara. They didn’t know either of them; they were just doing their job to the best of their ability. Why would they go through the steps to fabricate DNA evidence, or coerce confessions or testimony from someone? It seems to be a lot more work than just following the evidence as it’s presented.

I admit there was no obvious reason for the detectives to frame Odin for murder. But what if the  reason was simply to close the case. What if they had nothing to go on, but had pressure from someone to close the case? Perhaps the only way they could  do that was to create some kind of evidence that would allow them to close the case, thus relieving the pressure on them.

I’m not trying to say that your brother did this.Maybe he felt he needed to follow what his partner said they should do. As a new detective- you said this was his second case - he might have felt he had no choice but to do what his more experienced partner wanted. I assume his partner had done this before, so maybe  he thought he could do it again, and get away with it.

That’s all I can think of right now. Take your time getting back to me. I’m not in a hurry. There is still lots of research for me to do. Plus, my job is going to be hectic for about a week. In fact, my schedule picks up the second week of every month, so don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from me.

Hope things are going well for you.

Kurt

~*~*~*~

Sunday afternoon Blaine met Mercedes at the airport where they boarded a plane for Las Vegas. The first week of the tour kept Blaine on his toes. He’d never been this involved in the day to day of album promotion. Each night he barely had the energy to brush his teeth before he crashed in his bed for the night. He gave no thought to Kurt’s email during that first week while he tried to stay on top of his job. His first day off was a Saturday, and they were in Phoenix until Monday afternoon. After sleeping until noon, Blaine ordered a room service breakfast and opened his laptop. He allowed the latest episode of This Virtual Life  to download while waiting for his breakfast and scrolled through his email of the past week.

While he ate, he listened to Kurt discuss whether eyewitness testimony was as reliable as the media tends to portray it, and whether a person’s biases should be taken into account when determining whether they are being truthful during an interview. It was an interesting discussion, and Blaine couldn’t help agreeing with Kurt’s position. When he was pleasantly full, he leaned back and listened to the last few minutes of Kurt speaking. He may have drifted into a daydream about what Kurt looked like and what it would be like to be held in his arms. But he’d never admit that to anyone.

His phone alerting him to a text woke him from his daydream; We’re going out to dinner tonight. Wear something casual, but sexy. I’ll pick you up at 7. –M  Blaine couldn’t help but smile. Mercedes had taken it upon herself to help him find a, in her words, ‘cute boy to talk to’ in every city they visited, despite Blaine constantly telling her that he wasn’t on tour to hook up, but to work. Her only reply was, “You can do both.”

He hunkered down and began composing his reply to Kurt.

Kurt,

I listened to your latest episode this afternoon, and I must say that I agree with everything you said. I’ve never been involved as a witness in anything but I can believe that a person can’t put aside all of their biases and experiences when relating what they saw. I mean it happens every day, you see a guy walking down the street in head to toe leather with tattoos all over and your first thought is either he’s a violent guy or he’s into something very kinky. And nowhere in your mind would you imagine that he works with abused kids as they make their way through the court system.

Anyway, I just wanted to say it was a very good and thought provoking episode. Now on to your e-mail.

I can see where you would think that my brother would feel that he needed to follow what the more senior officers said and did, but he was never like that growing up. He was a leader, and I gladly followed him. He was my big brother and I can’t believe that he’d ever willingly change or become anything less than the center of attention.

I know you’ve never met him, but take my word for it; he’s not that good an actor. I know all his tells, and at no time during any of his public statements has he shown any of the signs that he’s acting while proclaiming his innocence.

If - and I say this only because I know it’s a very slight possibility - if the detectives are guilty of fabricating evidence and coercing testimony, the only reason my brother would agree would be to close a case quickly due to pressure from someone higher up his command chain. He’s always wanted to do what’s right, even when that’s not the most popular thing to do.

I know I haven’t really added anything to my initial thoughts, but I hope I’ve helped you understand where my thoughts are in regards to this issue.

Take your time, this is my first day off in a week and I don’t know when I’ll have another one. My client’s schedule is packed with appearances and interviews and we’re in a different city every other day.

Blaine

That night at dinner, Mercedes pointed out all the cute boys and tried to get Blaine to talk to any he showed even the slightest interest in.

“Come on, Blaine. You don’t have to be a monk while we’re on tour. It’s okay if you want to have a little fun, especially when we’re in the same place for more than a day.”

Blaine felt his face heat up, and lifted his glass to his face to try to cool off a bit. “Mercedes, I’ve never been the kind of guy to hook up. I’ve only ever been in relationships, and I enjoy being in a relationship. I appreciate you trying to help me feel like there’s more to life than my job, but this is the first time I’ve been in charge of something so big. I don’t want anything to jeopardize my ability to do my job.” He watched Mercedes, hoping she hadn’t taken offense and was relieved to see the smile on her face. He said, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t stare at all the pretty boys when we go out. I’m human after all.”

The laugh Mercedes let out was infectious and soon they were getting stares from other patrons in the restaurant. Blaine was beginning to enjoy this trip.

Friday he found time to read his latest message from Kurt.

Blaine,

Thank you for your reply. I must say that I’m enjoying our correspondence. At some point, when you’re back at home and have a less busy schedule, I’d like to have a phone discussion. So far you have given me well thought out responses and I can freely admit that you have given me something to think about.

What do you say we move on to point 2.

2.  If the police did, in fact, frame Odin Karlin, why? What reason would they have to frame an innocent man for raping and murdering Jenna Alcantara? Nobody has been able to give an explanation for how he ended up in this situation. The only thing anyone has said is that he’s innocent and the police framed him; neither he nor his attorney has answered the question I’m sure everyone has: Why?

I don’t really have any answers for you on this one, but I’ll try to play devil’s advocate and maybe we can come up with some possible answers, together.

Do we know for sure that Odin Karlin wasn’t on the police’s radar for something? Maybe he had made a pass at some officer’s wife or sister or daughter? Maybe he’s a love ‘em and leave ‘em kinda guy? (We’ve all known those guys, and they bring out the worst in us at some point.) Or maybe he rubbed someone the wrong way during the initial interviews; he said something or did something to pique their interest; and when they couldn’t find a suspect they focused on him.

I’ve never been an attorney, nor have I played one on TV, but I don’t know that it’s not that easy to find evidence of a frame job by the police unless someone involved comes forward with proof. And do you really think anyone who has the proof would come forward and present it to the defense?  That only happens on TV, and no matter how often I wish my problems could be solved in 30 minutes with commercials, a laugh track, and a hug from my dad, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.

That’s my two cents worth.

So, your work involves appearances and interviews for your client, huh? Let me try to guess what you do. Hmmm…You are a puppet wrangler. You are currently touring around the country and your job is to make sure the puppets behave themselves behind the scenes so no ‘inappropriate’ selfies get posted to social media sites.

That’s my guess, and I’ll stick to it until the day I die.

Kurt

~*~*~*~

With such busy schedules, Kurt and Blaine were only able to send short messages back and forth apologizing for not getting further in their conversation. Blaine felt bad that he wasn’t able to devote much time to their little back and forth; he had enjoyed what they had done so far. Kurt assured him that they could continue at any time.

The rest of the tour went smoothly. Blaine became comfortable in his role with Mercedes and quickly thought of her as a friend as well as a client. Their last stop was New York, and they were both looking forward to sleeping in their own beds for the time they were home.

While in New York, Mercedes and her team took some time to discuss whether they should extend the tour for another six weeks and head off to Europe. Blaine spent his days doing laundry and fine tuning his plan for Europe based on the experiences they had over the last couple months. He also met up with his friends for their regular Sunday brunch. Because he’d had such a good time with Mercedes while on tour, he extended an invitation to her as well.

Sunday morning Blaine made sure to sit facing Sam at brunch. He wanted to see his reaction when Mercedes came through the door. His plan of not telling Sam he’s invited Mercedes worked like a charm. Sam didn’t have time to work himself into a nervous state and Blaine got to see the excitement on his face when he realized that The Mercedes Jones was headed to their table.

He turned in his seat and greeted Mercedes. “Good morning, beautiful. Glad you could make it this morning. I know how crazy your schedule is.” He stood and gave her a hug and peck on the cheek. “May I introduce you to my best friend, Sam Evans? Sam this is Mercedes.”

Sam sat with his mouth open, and his eyes wide. Mercedes, who Blaine had seen put the most speechless fan at ease, smiled at Sam and took the seat next him. She reached out with her index finger and slowly lifted Sam’s chin up to close his mouth.

“Pleasure to meet you, Sam. Blaine’s told me all about you,” she said.

The smile on Sam’s face was enough thanks for Blaine. He looked at his watch and said, “Hey, I’m gonna head out. I’ve got some errands to run this afternoon. You guys enjoy yourselves. Sam, I’ll talk to you later. Mercedes, I’ll see you on Thursday at the airport.” He stopped at the door and looked back at Sam and Mercedes, a smile on Mercedes’ face as she watched Sam wave his hands while telling some story designed to make his audience laugh. Blaine smiled to himself as he turned and walked out the door. He had a free afternoon and the day was beautiful, so he decided to walk home through the park.

That evening he wrote another email to Kurt, letting him know that he’d be back on the road beginning on Thursday, but that his trip would only last for a couple of weeks. He spent the rest of the evening cleaning his apartment and doing his laundry. He didn’t check his email religiously every fifteen minutes hoping for a reply from Kurt. And nobody would be able to prove it if he had.

He went into the office on Monday morning, but his mind wouldn’t stop wandering during the staff meeting. He jumped between wondering how successful Mercedes’ European promotion was going to be, to whether he’d hear from Kurt before he left for the airport. He was startled from his thoughts when he heard, “Blaine? Can you handle that on top of finishing up with Ms. Jones?”

He blinked his eyes a few times and shook his head slightly to wake himself up from his daydreams. “Yeah, sure, no problem.” He tried to pay better attention for the remaining ten minutes of the meeting and hoped he could glean some clue as to what he’d just agreed to. Unfortunately, no clues were forthcoming, so he went back to his desk and tried to figure out who he could approach and ask for information.

“You have no idea what you just agreed to, do you?” Blaine startled when Artie came into his cubicle and whispered his question, which was laced with amusement.

Blaine was relieved it was Artie who came to his rescue. There were only a few of his co-workers he trusted to tell him the truth. Most of them would use his in-attention to their benefit and try to sabotage his career.

“No, my mind was somewhere else. Care to enlighten me? We can go to lunch and you can tell me all the gossip I’ve missed these past two months.” When he saw Artie start to say no, he added “I’m buying.”

 “Okay, but be prepared, because you really have no idea what you’re in for for the next six months. See you at noon, and bring your wallet. I’m hungry today!” Artie waved a hand in the air as he wheeled away from Blaine’s cubicle.

Blaine chuckled to himself and spent the next couple hours dealing with last minute preparations for his two weeks in Europe. As he was getting ready to meet Artie for lunch, his email notified him that Kurt had sent him a message. He really wanted to take the time to read through the message. Reading Kurt’s messages was one of his favorite things to do. But he also didn’t want to be late for his meeting with Artie. So, he locked his screen and headed to lunch. Depending on what his new task turned out to be, he might need the pick me up when he got back to his desk.

He was relieved to hear that he’d only agreed to mentor one of the newer employees who was working with a young, new artist. Luckily he could act as mentor via email, phone and skype while he finished his job with Mercedes and then be more hands on once he was back in the office full-time.

As soon as he unlocked his laptop, he opened Kurt’s latest email and began reading.

Blaine,

So glad to hear that your trip went well. I know how grueling a long business trip can be, and how much of a relief it is to finally be home, even for just a few days before you have to leave again. So, you’re not a puppet wrangler? That is really disappointing Blaine, I was looking forward to meeting your charges and hearing all the behind the scenes stories they had to tell about you. All my hopes and dreams dashed, Blaine. Dashed. I’ll have to come up with another guess. Let me think on that for a couple days.

So, on to your third point.

People keep saying that Odin’s reaction, or non-reaction, to Jenna’s disappearance seemed off for someone who claims to have had feelings for her at one time. They cite that as the sole reason why the detectives framed him. I don’t believe the police put that much thought into his reaction; they have seen many reactions to the news that someone is missing and/or dead. Some people just don’t break down right away. Some put on a brave face in front of people and let their emotions out in private. I just don’t think this is a valid reason for framing someone for murder.

While I agree that some people prefer to be emotional in private, I have to wonder if there was something else about his demeanor which caused them to look at him beyond what was normal for someone who had dated the victim in the past. I’m really just trying to play devil’s advocate here. I have nothing to draw from on this point. I do know that Jenna wrote in her journal that Odin was making her uncomfortable. Maybe that, along with his unemotional response to hearing that Jenna was missing, was enough to make the police look at him and once they investigated a bit more they focused on him being involved.

Once they found her body, they may not have had anything to further their investigation, so they once again focused on him. But because they couldn’t find anything to tie him to the murder they came up with some vague ‘evidence’ and then did whatever they could to make the ‘evidence’ fit their theory. Unfortunately, they had to falsify more damning evidence so they could make their arrest.

So those are my thoughts on your point, I know it’s not much more than suppositions, and I’m sorry I have nothing concrete to point to. There’s not much out there to put us in the mind-frame of the police. We have to try to imagine ourselves in their place and using only the information we have, what would we do? Who would we consider to be suspects? How would we go about gathering information to help in the conviction of those people?  Those are questions we’ll never get answers to, which is unfortunate.

OK, my guess for why you’re on the road for work so much: You are a spy! You have been away trying to gather intel on an assassin and trying to figure out who is next on his hit list. I know if you tell me you’d have to kill me, so I’ll just take your silence on the matter as confirmation.

Kurt

(P.S. You know it’s always the last person you’d ever consider, the guy who no one would ever guess. The one who’s always described by his neighbors as ‘so quiet, I never would have thought he was an assassin’. You should totally look into him.)

Blaine laughed when he read Kurt’s latest guess for his career. While he was enjoying the back and forth with Kurt about the case, he was more enjoying the little glimpses of Kurt he was getting. Kurt hadn’t really put much of his personality into his podcasts, at least that’s what someone who hadn’t corresponded with him would think. But Blaine recognized little bits sneaking in, now that he had more experience with Kurt outside of his produced podcast.

The more Blaine listened to Kurt’s podcast and corresponded with him, the more Blaine felt they had in common beyond an interest in the murder of Jenna Alcantara and whether the detectives railroaded Odin Karlin into a conviction. He felt that if they ever met, they’d be friends at the very least. He secretly hoped that they would be more than friends, but he figured it would always be a dream. He had no idea where Kurt lived. He could be in New Zealand for all Blaine knew; although, he thought he detected a bit of mid-western crossed with a bit of New York in his voice, so New Zealand was probably not where Kurt lived.

He spent the rest of the afternoon meeting with Julia and discussing her plans for the new client. He made a couple suggestions and encouraged Julia to come up with as many ideas as she could. Then he could help her choose those which would be the most beneficial to her client while also keeping costs down.

At home that night he downloaded the latest episode of This Virtual Life and listened to it while he began packing for his next trip.

Hello! Welcome to This Virtual Life. I’m Kurt Hummel and I’ll be your host. This podcast will cover many things: life, fashion, Broadway, art, pretty much anything that comes to mind. And I will also discuss something that has become somewhat of an obsession of mine recently.

So, it’s been over six months since I began this podcast, and I have to say I never imagined the number of people who have not only subscribed to my podcast, but also how many of you have stepped up to help find the truth. We’ve heard from so many people who were at the picnic with Odin and Jenna, people who were involved in the investigation from the beginning, and those who were affected in some way in the aftermath of the trial and more recently by the allegations against the police. Throughout our journey, I think we’ve discovered that there was something going on. We may never know what that something is, not even if charges are brought against the detectives. And we need to be okay with that. We can’t force people to talk if they don’t want to, no matter how many questions we may have.

Listeners, I think that within the next month we will have exhausted all avenues of investigation. But, I’m hoping to arrange something special for you all. I need to work out details, and I’ll let you know when things are set up. I think you’ll enjoy this surprise. It should give you a different perspective on the whole story.

That brings us to how this podcast is going to change in the future. When I started this podcast I wanted to use it to discuss things that interested me, but I’ve spent the last almost seven months only focused on the murder of Jenna Alcantara and the actions of Detectives Ballesteros and Anderson during their investigation. I need your help, listeners. Tell me how you want me to go forward. Are you interested in looking at another case like this, or should I move on to my original idea for this podcast and start discussing my life in the Big Apple and all the things that make this city the best in the world?

Let me know your preference on how you want me to continue in the comments below.

Until next time, listeners. Goodbye.

Before he left for Europe, Blaine replied to Kurt’s last email. While he was enjoying the back and forth, he was becoming frustrated with how Kurt was framing his thoughts. Kurt seemed to believe that the police were on a mission to put someone in prison, and it didn’t matter who that someone was. They picked the first name on the list and did what they needed to do to make sure of a conviction. In all the time Blaine had watched Cooper work an investigation, he had never seen anything that would come close to confirming that he would go to whatever lengths to get a conviction.

Kurt,

I really don’t know what to say to you. I don’t know what it says about you that you can come up with such an outrageous theory. You play devil’s advocate so well, are you sure it’s just playing?

How do we know that Odin was making Jenna uncomfortable? As far as I remember they didn’t admit her journal into evidence, and her family has kept a tight lid on her personal effects all these years. You can’t assume that the police had anything to go on when they were questioning Odin, or how they came to him as a suspect. We will never know all the reasons the police focused their investigation the way they did. I’m sure there were reasons other than his reaction to her murder and her discomfort which was allegedly mentioned in her journal. Didn’t they interview her co-workers, son, and other people who were at the picnic? Someone said something to point them in Odin’s direction. I wish we knew what that was; I wish someone would agree to an interview or at least make a post somewhere telling their impressions or what they remember from that day and the days that followed.

I’m probably grasping at straws here, but I’ve spent the last months trying to get my head around what is happening to my brother, and I really wish things weren’t looking so much like he’s guilty. I truly believe that the Cooper Anderson I know and love would never do anything like what he’s being accused of. His partner, on the other hand, I could totally believe would do this. My impression of him was always one of a guy who, over the years, became very jaded and lazy.

I’m going to be out of the country for the next four weeks or so, but I think this trip will be less stressful than the last so I should be able to continue our discussion while gone. Plus I’ll be at least five hours ahead of you (depending on where you live), so it should be easier to continue this.

Blaine

(P.S. I’m enjoying your guesses on my career, keep them coming. You kinda came close in one of the guesses, but I’m not telling which one.)

~*~*~*~

The trip to Europe went very well, but despite Blaine’s best intentions he was too busy to continue his correspondence with Kurt. Kurt continued with their conversation, although it was decidedly one-sided. After Kurt’s email discussing Blaine’s fourth point, Blaine was able to send him a quick note that he was going to be busier than he thought for the next three weeks, but Kurt could go ahead and give his thoughts on the last three of Blaine’s points and Blaine would get back to him as soon as possible.

The last email Blaine received from Kurt while in Europe included an invitation to appear on This Virtual Life to discuss his thoughts and feelings relating to Cooper’s involvement in anything improper related to the investigation of Jenna Alcantara’s murder and the investigation of Odin Karlin. He thought about Kurt’s invitation for the rest of his trip. The big question he had to answer: would he jeopardize Cooper’s reputation in any way if he appeared on a podcast and discussed the case against him?

By the time he’d returned home, he hadn’t come any closer to a decision. On one hand, he really wanted to meet Kurt and get to know him. On the other hand he knew that if he said the wrong thing, Cooper could get into more trouble than he was already in. After a lot of soul searching, and a quick phone call to Cooper, Blaine decided to give Kurt a tentative ‘yes’. But he wanted to meet Kurt first to discuss how the interview would go. They agreed to meet for coffee on Saturday morning, to discuss the parameters of Blaine’s participation.

Blaine spent the rest of the week alternating between excitement of meeting Kurt and nervousness that, despite how well they seemed to get along in email, they wouldn’t get along in person. A couple times Blaine considered canceling the meeting, he just knew that if they didn’t get along there would be no way he’d be able to go through with appearing on Kurt’s podcast. His heart couldn’t handle the disappointment.

Saturday morning Blaine woke early and spent the hours until he needed to leave rethinking his clothing choices. He changed so many times that his entire wardrobe was strewn around his apartment by the time he decided to stick with his original outfit. He had no time to clean up before he had to leave.

Kurt had suggested the coffee shop, and said that he’d be wearing a red shirt. As soon as Blaine entered the shop he scanned the tables for a man in a red shirt. There seemed to be a red shirt convention in town, six men and seven women were wearing what seemed to be every hue of red  ever made. His shoulders slumped as soon as he realized that he wouldn’t know which man was Kurt. By process of elimination he could only discard two of the six men; one was older than Blaine’s father, and one was speaking in a foreign language to his companions. The other four were sitting at tables by themselves, but none of them looked up when Blaine walked through the door. He got in line and ordered his coffee, and as his name was called he heard the door open. He turned to see if it could possibly be Kurt, and almost dropped his coffee cup on the floor. Not only was the person standing just inside the door wearing a red shirt, he was also the most beautiful man Blaine had ever seen.

“Please let that be him. Please let that be him.” Blaine said under his breath while watching the man step up to the counter and place an order for coffee. Blaine stood, dumbfounded, as the man walked to the end of the counter to wait.

“Kurt.” The barista said as she set a cup on the end of the counter. The man reached for the cup and gave her a smile before thanking her. She smiled back, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

Blaine gave himself another second to watch Kurt before he stepped forward and tapped him on the shoulder. “Excuse me, Kurt?”

Kurt turned to look at him, and Blaine watched as Kurt’s eyes widened slightly, all the air seemed to leave his body and his lips turned up in a smile. “Blaine? I was worried I’d be late, and you’d have given up on me and left. So sorry you had to wait so long.”

Blaine smiled back and shook his head. “You’re not late. I was just trying to decide which of the men in red was you.” Blaine waved his hand to point out the plethora of red shirts in the coffee shop. “I think there’s a convention,” he said in a whisper, as though he didn’t want anyone but Kurt to hear.

Kurt looked at all the red shirts, and couldn’t stop the giggle that  escaped. He shrugged, and said, “They have good taste. Guess I should have gone with the flower pinned to my lapel.”

Blaine laughed at the image that popped into his head of a coffee shop full of customers with flowers pinned to their lapels. “I’m pretty sure the convention would have been flowers in the lapel, if you had. We found each other, so it’s all good.”

Kurt grinned at Blaine. “Should we find a table? Or would you prefer to take a walk?”

Blaine looked up into Kurt’s eyes and saw the amusement in them. While he’d love nothing better than sitting at a small table across from Kurt, possibly letting their knees bump ‘accidentally’, he also wanted to walk around the city they both loved.

“Let’s go for a walk. It’s a beautiful day out,” Blaine said, holding his hand out to indicate Kurt lead the way. Kurt bowed his head slightly to Blaine before he headed toward the door with Blaine right behind him.

They walked aimlessly for an hour, discussing everything and nothing at the same time. Blaine felt drawn to Kurt more than he had before they met in person. He couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around all they seemed to have in common. A feeling Blaine couldn’t quite put into words settled into his heart. All his life he’d dreamt of finding that one person he was drawn to, that one person he would connect with on a level he’d only ever dreamed of. He was surprised to have found such a person, but was glad it was Kurt.

Lunchtime came and went while they were walking around the park, stopping to watch the ducks in the pond and the children on the playground. Eventually they stopped walking to sit on a bench, but before either could say a word a loud noise startled Blaine.

Kurt covered his face with his hand, shaking his head. “Oh my god, I can’t believe my stomach was so loud. Sorry, I think it’s way past lunchtime.”

Blaine looked at his watch, and grimaced when he saw what time it was. “Yeah, time really got away from us. Uh, want to go get some lunch? Or a snack?” Blaine tried to slow the butterflies in his stomach while he waited for Kurt’s answer. On the outside, Blaine seemed calm, but on the inside he was  a jumble of nerves.

“A snack,” Kurt said.

“Oh, okay yeah. A snack. That’s good.”

The disappointment must have been evident in Blaine’s voice and on his face, because before he could ask where Kurt wanted to go, Kurt said “For now,” and the smile on his face rivaled the sun in its brightness. Blaine smiled back.

“Let’s go to that bar over there and share some wings. I’ll tell you about my plan to get you to appear on my podcast. We’ve talked about everything but that today.”

Over wings and beer, Kurt told Blaine why he wanted him on his podcast. “It’s for more than just to get downloads, you know. I want people to hear a viewpoint different from my own. I want them to hear from someone who will be affected by the outcome. Even if you’re not directly affected, it’s still your brother who could see serious trouble. Most importantly, I want my listeners to hear that point of view from you,” Kurt said.

Blaine was silent for quite a while after Kurt made his case. He waited until their server had cleared the table and taken the check away.

“You make a compelling argument, but I don’t want to harm the investigation in any way. I want the allegations against Cooper to be found to have no merit. I don’t know that going on a podcast and talking about how great my brother is and how he would never frame someone for murder is the best thing I could do, under the circumstances.” He folded his hands on the table and watched the emotions move across Kurt’s face. All afternoon Blaine had been entranced by how expressive Kurt’s face and eyes were. Blaine had never seen anything like it, and he knew that if he hadn’t already liked Kurt, that would have pushed him over the edge.

“I understand, Blaine. I do. But don’t you think that if you can tell a different side of the story you can make people understand that the police have no reason to frame someone for a crime. That they do the best they can with the information they gather, to help convict the person who is the most likely suspect for that crime?” Kurt reached his hand across the table and placed it on one of Blaine’s. “I know I’m asking a lot. Think about it and get back to me. I have other things to talk about for the next couple of weeks, and I’m not trying to pressure you by saying that. I’ll wait as long as you want, Blaine. It can be tomorrow or ten years from now. Whenever you’re ready, I’d be happy to have you on my podcast.”

Blaine’s grin when Kurt mentioned them being involved in some way ten years from now was so big he was sure it would never leave his face. He chose not to mention it, he knew it would happen, he could feel the connection getting stronger. From the beginning of their meeting, Blaine had felt as if he had been looking for Kurt forever, and his life was whole now that he’d met Kurt. He felt like he could breathe for the first time, and the quality of the air was enough to make him feel like he’d never breathed before. At that moment, Blaine knew that he’d do anything for Kurt, including going on his podcast and discussing anything he wanted.

 “I’ll do it. But I want to spend time talking about other things. I understand that your listeners might want to hear all the nitty-gritty of the allegations, but I really don’t know more than anybody who’s listened to your podcast and read what can be found on the internet. Cooper never discussed his cases with me, and he definitely never confided in me that he and his partner were framing someone. He never said anything bad about his partner or any of the other members of law enforcement he worked with. I’ll tell your listeners what it was like growing up with Cooper as a big brother and that the Cooper I know would never do anything like what he’s been accused of. After that, let’s talk about other stuff. Our favorite places to hang out in the city, our favorite Broadway shows, growing up in the mid-west versus wherever you grew up. There’s so much to talk about, and I know your original intention was to branch out into different things. So let’s do that.”

The look on Kurt’s face was one that Blaine wanted to see for the rest of his life, and he would spend every day until he died bringing that look back to Kurt’s face. Making Kurt smile made Blaine feel good and brought a smile to his face as well.

“Really? You don’t need to think about it?” Kurt asked. “I mean, whatever you want. However you want to talk about your brother is fine with me. And I’d love to talk to you about other stuff. Let’s go walk off this snack and figure out when we can record,” Kurt said as he stood from the table and held his hand out to help Blaine from the table.

Walking down the streets of New York City while holding Kurt’s hand, Blaine felt calm. He was forced to walk closer to Kurt than he had earlier in the day; the sidewalk was crowded with tourists. Their path took them into Blaine’s neighborhood, so Blaine asked “Would you like to come to my apartment? I’ll cook you dinner and we can look at our schedules, find a day and time to record.”

Kurt stopped walking. He stood in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at Blaine with his mouth open. Blaine stepped in front of Kurt and used his finger to gently close Kurt’s mouth. “Did I say something wrong? We can go to a restaurant, if you want. I just thought we wouldn’t be rushed if we went to my place. But a restaurant is good too. There’s a great Chinese place down the street.”

Kurt shook his head. “No, I was trying to come up with a good way to ask you to my place, and also how to get my roommates out for a couple hours.” Kurt laughed. “I guess great minds think alike.”

Blaine laughed with Kurt, and then held out his hand to him. “Let’s go get some groceries and then go to my place. I don’t have roommates, and my kitchen’s pretty big. For New York, at least.”

They went into the bodega on the corner and, after finding the ingredients for Blaine’s special pasta dish, headed toward his building. Kurt held the bags while Blaine inserted his key in the lock and opened the door. He had forgotten the state of his apartment when he left that morning and, unfortunately, the apartment cleaning gnomes hadn’t shown up while he was out. He pointed toward the kitchen and said, “Take those into the kitchen, I’ll be right there.” He quickly grabbed every item of clothing he could and threw them into his bedroom, not caring where they landed or what condition they would be in when he had the time to put them away.

It only took a few minutes for Blaine to clean up his living room, and by the time he made it into his kitchen Kurt had unpacked the grocery bags and was searching for a skillet and a pot big enough for making pasta. Blaine stood in the doorway and watched as Kurt made himself at home; something he hoped would become more frequent as they spent more time together.

“The cabinet next to the stove,” Blaine said as he levered himself off the doorframe and walked into the kitchen.

Kurt startled, and then turned around with his hand on his chest. “Oh! You scared me.”

“Sorry. Didn’t want to seem creepy by standing here watching you,” Blaine said, a grin on his face letting Kurt know that he wanted to watch him, always. “I thought I was making YOU dinner.” Blaine grabbed the bottle of wine from the counter and moved around Kurt to the other side of the stove. He opened the drawer and grabbed his wine opener, and then handed them to Kurt. “Why don’t you open this and pour us a couple glasses. Sit back and relax. I’ll have dinner ready in a bit.” Blaine placed two wine glasses on the counter and gently moved Kurt to the bar chairs on the other side of the counter.

After Kurt had opened the wine and poured some into the glasses, he handed one to Blaine and snuck a piece of the tomato Blaine was cutting into chunks. He grinned as Blaine watched him place the piece of tomato into his mouth. He walked around to the stools and sat down to watch Blaine put together what smelled like the most delicious meal Kurt would ever eat. Blaine felt Kurt’s eyes on him while he prepared dinner, but every time he looked Kurt’s way Kurt was staring into his wineglass. The smile on Kurt’s face and the pinkish hue on his neck was enough to tell Blaine that Kurt was feeling like this was turning into a very enjoyable evening.

Dinner was, indeed, delicious. The conversation was stimulating. Blaine told Kurt about his time in prep school. Kurt told Blaine about the time his entire glee club dressed up in Lady Gaga costumes. They quickly discovered that they had gone to high school a couple hours away from each other. Blaine felt as if Kurt were studying him throughout dinner, but every time he tried to meet Kurt’s eyes Kurt was looking at anything other than Blaine. Blaine couldn’t keep the giddy feeling from coming out in a chuckle when he thought of all the possibilities this day spent with Kurt could bring. He only hoped Kurt felt the same way.

After dinner, Kurt insisted on cleaning the kitchen, so Blaine made a quick trip to his bedroom to see if he could clean up the disaster he’d left in there that morning. Rather than take the time to hang everything up, he stuffed it all into his closet and forced the door closed. He knew he’d regret it the next morning when he had to spend time ironing clothes for brunch, but he didn’t want to seem like a slob if Kurt needed to come into his room for some reason.

Kurt was looking at the photos Blaine had hanging on his walls when Blaine got done cleaning up his room. He turned when he heard Blaine come into the living room and said, “You don’t look much like your brother, but I can see how much he cares about you.” He moved to another section of the wall and Blaine saw a small smile light up his face as he looked at the pictures of he and his friends. “You have some really good friends, huh? I can tell you care about them and are comfortable with them.”

Blaine stepped closer to Kurt and pointed to a shot of a group of uniform garbed boys with their arms around each other. “That’s me with the Warblers, my senior year. We had just performed our last concert, and raised some money for The Trevor Project. They’re the best friends I’ve ever had. Except for Sam,” Blaine said and pointed at the picture of he and Sam. “We met my first week of college. We’ve been friends ever since.”

Kurt sighed and turned to face Blaine. “I have a very small group of friends and I live with most of them to this day. Most days they’re the best friends I have, but sometimes their drama drives me up the wall. I wish I could afford to live here by myself, but the city is so expensive. We have a great loft in Bushwick though,” Kurt said. He walked over, sat on the sofa, and patted the seat next to him. “Come sit.”

Blaine sat next to Kurt, but he wasn’t sure what Kurt was expecting would happen. Blaine didn’t want to pressure Kurt into anything. Evidently, Kurt didn’t feel pressured; Blaine felt Kurt’s lips on his before his brain realized that Kurt had moved closer to him. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was Kurt’s eyelids fluttering as they closed.

They spent the next hour making out on the couch, before Kurt placed his hand on Blaine’s chest and applied gentle pressure. The look on Kurt’s face was pure bliss when Blaine pulled away, his lips were plump his eyes shined with arousal. “I--,” Kurt cleared his throat before he tried again, “I should probably go, before you get the wrong impression of me. I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon,” he said as he stood from the sofa “and we can figure out our schedules. Since we didn’t seem to get very far this evening.” The blush on Kurt’s cheeks belied his assertion that they hadn’t gotten very far.

Blaine chuckled as he stood from his place on the sofa. “We had fun, though. Right?”

“Oh, I didn’t say I didn’t have fun. The whole day was very enjoyable, and the last couple hours, the best.” Kurt reached his hand out and touched Blaine’s cheek. “The best night of my life so far, really.” He stepped away after a quick peck to Blaine’s cheek, and then headed toward the door. Before he closed the door, he looked at Blaine one last time. Blaine walked over to his window and, not for the first time after having a hot guy in his apartment, watching as Kurt exited his building, stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stood there for a while. He wasn’t talking on the phone, or texting anyone; he just stood there lost in thought. Before he walked away from the building, Kurt turned to look up at a window in the building with what Blaine was sure was a wistful look on his face. Blaine was pleased to see that Kurt had been as affected by the day as Blaine.

Blaine could hardly wait for the next day when Kurt called. They were able to coordinate their schedules and would record Blaine’s guest spot the following Saturday afternoon. The conversation quickly moved from recording the next Saturday to Kurt saying, “I had a really great time last night.”  If Blaine had been in a crowded, noisy place he probably wouldn’t have heard what Kurt said, it was so quiet. Blaine’s response of “Me too” was almost as soft.

Blaine spent the week trying to come up with a condensed version of his thoughts on Cooper’s situation. He wanted to tell the listeners all about how great Cooper was, but he didn’t want to sound like he was defending Cooper only because they were brothers.

Throughout the week, they carried on a conversation via text; and when texting became too cumbersome they moved to long conversations late into the night. Blaine sent pictures of interesting or funny things he saw on his way to work, or shared funny stories from his work with past clients. Every morning Kurt gave a rundown on the weird and fascinating commuters he saw on the subway into work. Blaine especially enjoyed the pictures of outrageous outfits Kurt shared, along with the color commentary on why the outfit should be relegated to the ‘free’ bin at a thrift shop. Many times Blaine would receive funny looks from his co-workers when he chuckled at something Kurt had sent him in the middle of a staff meeting. The looks became so frequent, Blaine began turning text notifications from Kurt off before the meetings began. It gave him something to look forward to after his meetings were finished. Each night, after they hung up from their hours long conversation, Blaine would send Kurt a ‘goodnight’ text, Kurt would respond with ‘sweet dreams’.

By Friday Blaine is so excited for his meet up with Kurt, he feels like he’s vibrating in his skin. Fortunately he’s working with one of his favorite clients that day, so the hours seem to fly by. That night, he spends a long time sending pictures of possible outfits to Sam asking his opinion on each one. After the third ‘dude, it looks fine’, Blaine asks Sam to give his phone to Mercedes, who Blaine is sure is sitting right next to him. She is more helpful and they quickly decide on something that will be comfortable to wear all day, and still be appropriate for anything which might come up after recording the podcast. Before he went to bed, Blaine made sure his room was clean along with the rest of his apartment. Although he was going to Kurt’s for the podcast, he didn’t know what Kurt’s plans were and wanted to be prepared for all contingencies.

On Saturday, Blaine took the train to Brooklyn and walked to Kurt’s apartment building. He called Kurt to let him know he was there and then began walking up the six flights of stairs. When he reached the landing, Kurt was waiting for him.

“Hey! Did you think I wouldn’t find your apartment?”

“No, it’s the only one on this floor. I know you’re smarter than that. Maybe I’m just anxious to see you. It’s been a week. I wanted to make sure you weren’t a fantasy come to life,” Kurt said. “Anyway, come on in. Can I get you anything?”

Blaine closed the door behind himself. “No thanks. Maybe later. Didn’t you say you had a bunch of roommates?” he asked.

“Yeah, four of them. They’re all at work. I usually have Saturday afternoons and evenings free from them. I generally spend the time doing my laundry and recording my podcast.”

“Sounds like a very productive way to spend your day. Does that mean last weekend I kept you from things you should have been doing?”

Kurt laughed. “No, I make sure I have an episode in reserve, and I can do laundry any time. I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything other than spend time with you.”

The butterflies were back in full force. Blaine’s head dropped down so his chin rested against his chest, a small grin spreading across his face. He looked at Kurt through his eyelashes, and saw his desire reflected back to him. Two steps was all it took for Blaine to have Kurt in his arms, their chests pressed close, and their mouths fused together. Blaine slowly released Kurt, stepping back to put distance between him and the man who had featured in his dreams for the past week.

“We should, uhm, maybe begin recording, before we get carried away.” Blaine’s hand was on the back of his neck. He looked around the common area and asked “Where do you record?”

Kurt sounded as breathless as Blaine felt when he pointed to a curtained off area in the far corner and said, “That’s my sanctuary, and where, as they say, ‘the magic happens’. I’ve got everything set up, so let’s get to it. Then afterward, we can see what happens.”

Blaine’s pulse began to race, again, when Kurt’s insinuation made it through the fog in his brain. “Yeah, that sounds good?”

Kurt chuckled, “Are you unsure? Come on, let’s get this done.” Kurt walked over to the curtain and pulled one corner back revealing a bright and airy space which was very inviting. “I usually sit on the bed to record, but I can bring in a chair if you’d prefer not to,” Kurt offered.

“The bed is fine,” Blaine said. “It looks very comfortable.”

“Oh, it is.” Kurt placed his laptop on the foot of the bed, and pulled the microphone over to sit between them. He did a quick sound check to make sure it would pick up both their voices, and when he was satisfied with the sound quality, he began his introduction.

“Hello! Welcome to This Virtual Life. I’m Kurt Hummel and I’ll be your host. This podcast will cover many things: life, fashion, Broadway, art, pretty much anything that comes to mind. And I will also discuss something that has become somewhat of an obsession of mine recently.

“In this episode, I have a very special treat for you. I am joined by the brother of one of the detectives we’ve been discussing for the past seven months. Please welcome Blaine.”

“Hi, everyone! It’s a pleasure to be here, thank you Kurt for inviting me to participate in your podcast. I’ve been a fan for quite a while.”

“Tell me why you agreed to my invitation. Besides the obvious, of course.”

“Well, I wanted to tell you about my brother and the wonderful man he is. I know he’s been in the news a lot recently, but he’s a really good guy. When I was a freshman in high school, he changed his career path because he didn’t want bad things to happen to other kids like what happened to me. He worked diligently to become a police officer, and put in his time to finally become a detective. I was there when he graduated from the police academy, and I’ve never seen him happier.”

“May I interrupt here for a second?”

“Sure. It’s your podcast.” Blaine grinned at Kurt.

“Could you talk a little about what you just said? About your brother not wanting what happened to you to happen to other kids? Only as much as you want to talk about.”

“Sure. When I was fourteen, my best friend and I decided to go to a dance together. We were both gay, but we went as friends, there was never an attraction between us. Our personalities were great as friends, but we never would have worked as boyfriends. Anyway, we went to the dance together and when it was over we waited outside for his dad to come pick us up and take us home. I was going to stay the night at his house. We had plans to watch movies all night and gush over our favorite actors. You know, the usual things you do with your best friend when you spend the night at their house.

“We were standing outside the gym, waiting for his dad. I don't know why it happened, we hadn’t even danced together at the dance. We mostly just stood around and listened to the music, watching all the other kids dance. So, three guys we didn’t know started calling us names, and telling us that the world would be better if we weren’t alive. We tried to ignore them and moved farther away from them, but they followed us. Unfortunately we moved away from all the other kids waiting for their parents, which is probably what those guys wanted. I felt the first few blows, and heard my friends’ screams but I blacked out fairly quickly. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. I had a cast on my right arms and on my right leg, the ribs on my right side were cracked and my right eye was swollen shut. Plus I had a concussion. My mom was sitting by my bed and she was so happy to see me awake.

“My friend’s dad had showed up at some point, and he was able to get our attackers away from us with the help of some of the other dads there to pick up their kids. My friend wasn’t as injured as I was, but I only saw him one other time, at the trial. We were fortunate, the DA had enough witnesses to prove the case and the extent of our injuries left no doubt that we wouldn’t be alive if our attackers weren’t stopped in time.

“The jury found them guilty of attempted murder with a hate crime enhancement. They were sent to prison and won’t be eligible for parole for another fifteen years.

“Cooper was my rock throughout the trial. He took a semester off from college so he could be there while I recuperated, and he went with me to every meeting I had with the police and DA. We became closer during that time, and he helped me decide that public school would be better left in my past. When I was healed enough to get around fairly well, we visited private schools in the area, and some boarding schools in surrounding states. He did the initial research to find the schools that would be best for me both academically and had the best policy against harassment. He stayed at home through the summer and was there when I got home from my first day at my new school.

“At Thanksgiving that year, Cooper informed everyone that after he graduated in December, he would be applying to the police academy. And then he went back to eating his meal, like he hadn’t just said anything surprising. A pin could drop in that room. Later I asked him why he had changed his career path, he said he wanted to make sure no other kids had to change schools because of being hurt.

“Cooper has dedicated his life to making sure that the investigations he’s involved in were solid enough for conviction. He’s got a pretty good record of conviction, and I’m proud to call him my brother and one of my best friends.”

“Thank you for sharing that with us. I’m glad you got closure, and you don’t have any lasting injuries from that attack. And that you have such a wonderful brother who saw that something good could come from your situation, and then made that good happen.”

“You’re welcome, Kurt. Cooper’s always had a strict moral code, and he’s always believed in our judicial system. He probably believes in it a bit too much. Every case he’s worked on he’s believed that the investigation was only a small part of the reason someone is convicted. He always gives equal credit to the people in the crime lab, the attorneys, the judge and the jury. If one of those spokes in the wheel of justice was missing, or didn’t do their job, the justice system would grind to a halt.

“In all the years he worked for the police, not once was he ever accused of mistreatment of a suspect, mishandling of evidence, or of intimidating a witness. The allegations against him are, in my opinion, created by an attorney who sees a big payday and will go to whatever lengths he can to get that payday.

“Fortunately, Cooper’s got a good head on his shoulders and a good team working with him. I’m proud to call him my brother, and if I were ever the victim of a crime, I’d want him to be involved in the investigation because I know that he’d do everything he could to make sure that the right person was arrested for the crime. I’ve met a lot of people in law enforcement, and none of them were as compassionate as my brother.

“I guess that’s all I should say. I could bore you with stories of how awesome he is as a brother, but my stories would take days to tell. So that’s it for now.”

“Thank you Blaine, I appreciate you coming in and telling us about your brother.”

“Of course. I enjoyed being here and I hope I gave your listeners a better understanding of my brother and what kind of a man he is.”

Kurt waited a couple seconds and then pressed the stop button on his computer. Blaine watched as Kurt’s fingers flew over his keyboard for a minute and when Kurt was done he closed the lid on his laptop and leaned back on the headboard next to Blaine. He reached his hand out, palm up on the bed between his thigh and Blaine’s; Blaine placed his hand on Kurt’s with their palms touching.

“I, I want to tell you how much I appreciate you agreeing to come on my podcast, Blaine. I’m glad you sent me that first email, but not because I got you on air. I’m glad that I got to know you, and I hope to continue getting to know you,” Kurt said.

“Go out to dinner with me tonight? And then come back to my apartment after dinner. We can have some wine, listen to music, talk. Whatever you want to do, I just want to spend more time with you,” Blaine said. He squeezed Kurt’s hand, and tried to convey his feelings through that connection.

“Okay,” Kurt said. “I need to run a couple errands for my roommates this afternoon. Can I meet you for dinner?”

“Yeah. Sure. Why don’t you give me a call when you’re done with your errands, and I’ll let you know where to meet me. I’ll make reservations for eight thirty. Will that give you enough time?”

“Plenty of time. I really just need to go get them groceries, otherwise they won’t eat anything when they get home. You’d think, since they’re all adults, that they’d do their own shopping. But I’ve learned it’s easier to do it for them on my days off than to listen to them complain constantly that so and so ate all my bread, or peanut butter, or whatever. My sanity depends on it.”

Blaine pulled Kurt’s hand into his lap, his thumb lightly running over Kurt’s knuckles. “Would shopping be more enjoyable with company? I don’t have any plans for this afternoon; I would really like to spend more time with you. It feels like I can’t-” Blaine shook his head, as if to clear the thoughts from his head. “Nevermind, I’d really like to help you with your errands but I understand if you don’t want me to tag along.”

“Hey,” Kurt said as he moved his head down so he could look into Blaine’s eyes. “What were you going to say? I promise you can tell me, I won’t be freaked out. For the first time in my life I feel like I’ve found someone I could grow old with. I know it’s fast, but I can imagine us when we’re older. Our grandkids joining us in bed on Sunday morning asking us to tell them a story. We’ll tell the best stories, all about two princes finding each other in a land of millions, and how they knew that they would spend every day loving each other.” Kurt smiled when Blaine couldn’t hold in his snort of laughter. “See, I feel it too. So please don’t be afraid to tell me how you feel.”

Blaine reached his hand out to the back of Kurt’s neck and pulled him over to kiss him. When they finally broke apart, it was for lack of oxygen rather than wanting to stop the kissing.

“I was going to say, promise me that you won’t freak out. I’ve never felt like this. I always dreamed of finding someone I could connect with, and I’m so glad I found you.” He placed his palm against Kurt’s cheek and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “So, now that we’ve declared ourselves to each other like characters from a romance novel, what do you say we get your errands run and then go back to my place.”

“I think that’s a very good idea. And if I HAD to be a character in a romance novel, I’d want you to be the hunky man on the cover.” Kurt moved to the side of the bed and then stood up. He went to his closet and pulled down a small suitcase. He placed it on the bed and began going through his drawers pulling out items and placing them into the suitcase. He moved back to his closet and pulled out a couple outfits before placing them in the suitcase as well. The last items placed in the suitcase were his toothbrush and toothpaste. Blaine sat on the bed and watched Kurt pack his suitcase.

“Are you going someplace?”

Kurt turned to look at Blaine over his shoulder. “Yes,” he said before he zipped up the suitcase and put it on the floor. “You did invite me to your place, didn’t you? Or did you want me to come home after dinner?”

Blaine smiled at Kurt. “No, I’d really like it if you stayed at my place tonight. Every night really, but we can start with tonight.” He stood up from the bed and said, “Come on, let’s go get food for your roommates and then get out of here. I can’t wait to get you into my apartment again.”

~*~*~*~

Eight months later....

“Hello! Welcome to This Virtual Life. I’m Kurt Hummel and I’ll be your host. This podcast will cover many things: life, fashion, Broadway, art, pretty much anything that comes to mind.

“Thank you for joining me for my last podcast. It’s been over a year since I began this podcast, but I feel it’s time for me to retire from the life of a podcaster. I’ve had a lot of fun, and met some very nice people. One in particular became a very important part of my life, my boyfriend Blaine. Many of you may remember him from episode twenty-two where he told us about his wonderful brother. And I can confirm that his brother really is a great man, and the citizens in his district are lucky to have him on their side.

“I know that you’ve probably followed the story in the news, but for those of you living under a rock inside a cave, the allegations against Detectives Anderson and Ballesteros have been proven to be unfounded. The DA’s office has investigators who took over the case after Karlin was formally charged. They found Jenna’s purse in an abandoned building when they followed the route Karlin said he took home from the picnic that afternoon. They stopped at every out of the way place, including an old barn on the edge of some property belonging to the aunt and uncle of one of Karlin’s friends. It’s unclear if Karlin had ever visited the owners of the barn or if he simply knew of the barn from his friend.

“Although the purse had been found before Karlin’s trial began, it was never tested. So, the DA had it tested and made sure that anyone who had been involved with the case previously was kept away from the evidence. The crime lab was able to retrieve fingerprints as well as skin cells from both Jenna and Odin Karlin. Jenna’s was understandable, it was her purse, but Odin Karlin had no valid reason for his DNA to be anywhere near Jenna’s purse. She bought it a month before the picnic, and she kept it with her the entire time she was at the picnic. Every person interviewed confirmed that the only time Jenna and Odin had been near each other that day was when they sat across from each other at a table while eating, there was no other contact.

“So, that’s the update on the murder of Jenna Alcantara and the allegations against the two detectives who were the original investigators in the case. I’d like to thank you all for downloading this podcast, and --”

“Kurt, may I say something?”

“Oh! Uh, sure Blaine. Ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend Blaine.”

“Kurt, there’s a moment when your dreams come true, and I was lucky to have that moment eight months ago. You make my days brighter, and my nights calmer. You are the love of my life, and I know that we have been together in every lifetime and will find each other in all lifetimes to come. Kurt, will you marry me?”

“Yes! Yes, I will.”

“Bye, guys! Thanks for listening. Kurt and I really appreciate it.”

The End