Hi Everyone!

I hope you enjoyed the holidays.

I'm gonna spend this last day of the year in the company of a huge tower of books I need to read for my exams but I wish you a lot better New Year's Eve with this little writing I call creepy chapter Nr. 1. See you in 2017!

"My life is over."

Blaine suppressed a laugh as he turned away from Danny's door. It was Saturday morning and he and Kurt were standing in front of the boy's room, waiting for him to finally come out after the disastrous rehearsal the previous day. Danny hadn't said too much about it but it was obvious that things had gone wrong. He had been hiding in his room since coming home from the rehearsal and Kurt was getting worried about him. That was why they were both standing here, trying to convince Danny that his life wasn't over because of some club.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad" Kurt said.

"They hated me" came Danny's response form the other side of the door. "I can't go back there ever again."

"Don't be overdramatic" Blaine said. "It's just a club. You will find another one."

Danny didn't say anything at that. Kurt bit his lips in worry as he turned to Blaine.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"He should join the drama club because he sounds awfully like you. That's what I think" Blaine answered.

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I was talking about" he said. "I thought you had an idea how we should solve this."

"I think we should leave him alone. He's a big boy, he will come out once he's ready" Blaine said.

"He already skipped dinner and breakfast. I won't let him miss another meal, it's not healthy" Kurt said determinedly.

Blaine shook his head, smiling. He could say whatever he wanted, he couldn't change Kurt's mind.

"Okay. Who wants pancakes?" Blaine asked loudly. "Danny?"

"You can't make my life better with pancakes" Danny replied.

"At least I tried" Blaine shrugged. "Okay. I'm out of ideas."

"Sweetie, just come out and talk to us" Kurt said. "It surely wasn't that bad..."

Suddenly, Danny opened the door and stepped outside. It was obvious that he hadn't had any sleep that night.

"It was" he said. "It was horrible actually. I sang the song we practiced and then they told me that they had a setlist I should have known about and I should have picked a song from that list. Okay, I thought, I'm professional, I can make it. But I couldn't because it turned out they don't sing any songs from the past 200 years!"

"Isn't it a show choir?" Blaine asked in confusion.

"Apparently, it looks like it isn't" Danny replied. "No wonder noone wants to talk to me. Even the losers hate me. I will spend my remaining years of high school as an outsider."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other. They had had their own problems back in high school but they had never been alone. It meant a lot when you had at least a few friends.

"Other afterschool activities?" Kurt tried to come up with something.

"There's nothing else" Danny said. "Most clubs don't take new students, only those weirdos like the science club or-or the superhero club..."

"There's a superhero club in your school?" Blaine asked excitedly.

"No way" Danny said.

"Why not?" Blaine asked.

"Because they are completely insane" Danny said. He sighed heavily and shook his head again. "Now if you excuse me, I have to do my homework."

Blaine quickly grabbed his arm before Danny could close the door again and pulled him out onto the corridor again.

"You won't hide in there any longer" Blaine said. "Kurt's right. You need to eat something and then, if you're in the mood, we can train a little."

"Really?" Danny asked, smiling the first time since he had gotten home from his rehearsal.

"Yes" Blaine nodded.

"And I have a beautiful idea for the afternoon" Kurt smiled. "Shopping."

"Shopping?" Danny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course" Kurt nodded. "Come on, I know you want to go shopping. It always makes me feel good. It would make you feel better as well, right?"

"Maybe a little" Danny admitted.

"Very good" Kurt nodded. "I will make you breakfast. What do you want to eat? Eggs? Sandwich?"

"Eggs will be fine" Danny said.

"Just give me five minutes" Kurt said and disappeared from their sight within a blink.

Blaine smirked as he turned back to Danny.

"You know you take advantage of his love, right?" he asked.

"Maybe sometimes" Danny admitted.

Blaine laughed, shaking his head. It was unbelievable that Kurt never noticed what was really going on...

~ o ~

Although the morning hadn't started too well, they had a really good day together. Blaine and Danny had stayed in the basement until lunch, using their free time effectively. Blaine showed Danny a few more techniques how he could defend himself and fight back if necessary. When they finally walked upstairs, tired and hungry, Kurt was already waiting for them. They decided to have lunch in their favourite restaurant and then they headed to the mall to buy a few clothes.

Blaine stayed behind after a while. He got bored of shopping a lot sooner than the others and he thought that Kurt and Danny needed some alone time, too. Although they worked together as a real family, Danny was still closer to Kurt than he would ever be to Blaine. It was fine, though. It was Kurt who had raised the boy since his first year after all. They needed this little time they had to keep up their great relationship.

And Blaine needed some alone time, too. Because there was something he had planned for a while and now he felt like he was ready. Once he made sure Kurt and Danny were lost in shopping, Blaine walked to the jewellery shop he had visited so many times in the past few months. It had been before Danny's birthday that he and Kurt had gone out to buy presents for the boy when Blaine had seen it. A simple golden ring with a few bright blue gems. A perfect present for Kurt. Blaine had been waiting for the right time to buy it, though. First he had been afraid of buying it because Kurt would think that Blaine wanted to propose and the thought had scared him at first. But then time had passed and Blaine had found himself thinking about marrying Kurt a lot. It wasn't like they weren't ready for marriage, right? They had been together for almost 10 years, they were happy together, they worked together perfectly and they imagined their lives together. It wasn't like it would change anything... They would still live together, they would love together and they would dream about a future together. Just like before. So Blaine finally gathered his courage and decided to buy the ring.

He looked around before he stepped inside, knowing that he had to be careful. He could never be sure that there was noone watching him and the last thing he needed was to find his photo in the papers before he could propose. No, it was something they had to do privately. He wanted to surprise Kurt, so nobody could find out what he planned for his boyfriend. Okay, maybe he should tell Danny. He had to explain why he needed a night together with Kurt after all.

He didn't spend much time in the shop, he walked straight to the ring he had chosen and checked if it would fit. It seemed like it had been made for Kurt, though, so he quickly paid for the ring and left before anyone could recognize him. He pocketed the ring and as he walked back to his family, he was already thinking about a way to present it to Kurt. Preferably as soon as possible because he wasn't too good in hiding things from his boyfriend.

"Where have you been?" Kurt asked as Blaine joined him and Danny, still in the same shop he had left them.

"Just looked around" Blaine answered. "You know. To make sure there weren't any stalkers or crazy fans around."

Kurt sighed heavily. It hadn't been long since a crazy fan of Blaine had followed Kurt and Danny to the mall and trapped them in the bathroom because he had wanted to ensure he got the VIP tickets for Blaine's upcoming concert. Since that incident, they were a lot more careful in the mall, even if Kurt hadn't let Blaine get them bodyguards again.

"It's not funny, Blaine" Kurt said seriously.

"Don't worry, honey" Blaine said and gave Kurt a quick kiss. "I won't let anyone cloe to you. I promise."

"Well, while you were playing bodyguard for us, we found some clothes for ourselves" Kurt pointed at the dozens of outfits.

"You can't be serious" Blaine said slowly. Kurt had already way too many clothes and his wardrobe seemed to get more crowded with every passed day.

"I will show you them tonight" Kurt whispered into his ear.

"Oh-Okay" Blaine said. He had no chance when Kurt played with him like this.

"Guys, no sex in the mall" Danny said disapprovingly.

"We would never do that. We are professionals" Blaine said and leaned closer to Kurt. "Although that changing room seems nice."

"Blaine!" Kurt gasped and slapped Blaine's arm.

"Is it my fault you look so sexy?" Blaine asked innocently.

"Let's go home before you do something embarrassing" Kurt laughed and grabbed Blaine's arm to lead him out of the shop.

Later that evening, when they were home, Blaine finally found some time to talk to Danny privately. The boy was sitting in his room, seemingly lost in some website. Blaine raised an eyebrow and looked at the page over Danny's shoulder. The boy must have sensed that someone was watching him because he quickly closed the window and turned around.

"Blaine! You scared me" he said.

Blaine took a careful step forward. He didn't like it when Danny tried to hide something from him, especially when his Internet connection was involved. Although they had talked about it a lot, Danny still didn't understand how dangerous Internet could be and people like them had to be even more careful.

"What were you doing on your computer?" Blaine asked.

"Just... reading" Danny replied.

"Danny."

The boy sighed. Blaine always knew when he didn't tell him the truth.

"It's just a blog, okay?" he said in the end, still not ready to show Blaine the page. There were all of his secrets after all and he didn't want any of his fathers to see it.

"What kind of blog?" Blaine asked.

"A personal one" Danny rolled his eyes. "It's not a big deal, practically everyone has a blog nowadays..."

"Nobody knows who you really are, right?" Blaine asked.

"Of course not!" Danny said. "Could you stop this I'm-the-security-god-so-I-can-keep-your-whole-life-controlled thing?"

"Security god?" Blaine smirked.

"I'm careful. You don't have to check on everything I do" Danny said seriously.

"Fine" Blaine said in the end. "I believe that you're responsible and I respect your privacy, so I won't check on that blog of you."

"Thanks" Danny said gladly.

"I still need to talk to you, though" Blaine continued.

"About what?" Danny asked.

"I... I would like to go on a date with Kurt. Tomorrow" Blaine said.

"Fine" Danny said easily. His dads didn't need his permission to go anywhere.

"Kurt wouldn't want to leave you alone, though, so..."

"Oh, I get it" Danny nodded. "So I have to convince him that I'm perfectly well without you and that you need some time together."

"Exactly" Blaine smiled.

"I can do that" Danny said in the end.

Blaine seemed surprisingly excited when he heard the answer.

"Is everything alright?" Danny asked.

"Of course" Blaine said. He decided not to tell Danny anything until Kurt said 'yes' because if his answer would be a 'no', it would be awkward enough without anyone knowing about it. "I just... I can't wait to go out on a dinner with Kurt. It's been so long since the last time."

"Seven days, it's an awfully lot" Danny smiled.

"Ah, you don't understand this" Blaine shook his head but he was smiling, too. When he was nervous, he did stupid things.

~ o ~

Kurt hummed happily and closed his eyes as he took the first forkful of cheesecake into his mouth. He loved these nights when he and Blaine were all alone and he certainly loved this place Blaine had picked for their date. The food was delicious and so was the wine and on the top of that, they had a private room just for themselves where nobody saw or disturbed them. It was definitely a good choice. He made himself a mental note to come here more often.

"Thanks for bringing me here tonight" he said. "This place is amazing."

"I know" Blaine smiled. "I wanted a place where we could be alone."

"Why is it so?" Kurt asked, smiling.

"Well, I..." Blaine didn't know how to continue. He knew that it was his moment to ask Kurt to marry him but he didn't know how to do it.

"Blaine, is something wrong?" Kurt asked in worry.

"No. No, of course not" Blaine said hastily.

"You seem nervous" Kurt pointed out.

"I might be" Blaine replied.

"Okay. Now I'm definitely worried" Kurt said.

"I just... You know it's been almost ten years since we got together" Blaine started. Yes, that's how he had to do it.

"Of course I do" Kurt said, taking his boyfriend's hand. "And I still enjoy every moment with you."

"That's... great because I have to ask you something" Blaine said. He should have gone through his speech because he wasn't too good with words and Kurt definitely deserved a better proposal but it was too late. He had to do it without help.

"I'm listening" Kurt said.

Blaine reached into his pocket and grabbed the small box, squeezing it tightly.

"Kurt, you are the love of my life" Blaine started. "These ten years have been beautiful and I know that the rest of our lives will be just as amazing. Because you are the most perfect boyfriend I can have. You make me a better person, Kurt. You make me happy and I... Okay, I'm stuttering, right?"

"It's sweet but I still don't understand what you're trying to say" Kurt smiled.

Get on your knees, you idiot, Blaine reminded himself.

He quickly got on one knee in front of Kurt and opened the box to show Kurt the ring inside. Kurt gasped in surprise and Blaine panicked. What if he would say no?

"I... I just... Okay, your expression scares me, so I will just say it. I love you, Kurt, and I would love to spend the rest of my life with you. As your husband" Blaine said. He screwed up, he knew it. That wasn't how people proposed. He didn't even asked Kurt in the end, just said what he wanted. It was so wrong...

But Kurt smiled and knelt down beside him, taking his hand.

"Yes" Kurt said.

"Yes, I'm an idiot?" Blaine asked uncertainly.

"You certainly are" Kurt agreed, pressing a soft kiss to Blaine's lips. "But you are my idiot. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. As your husband."

Blaine was speechless. Was it real? Did Kurt really say that he wanted to marry him?

"Now comes the ring part" Kurt smiled.

"Oh, yes. Of course" Blaine said. His hands were shaking, so in the end it was Kurt who took the ring from the box and put it on his ring finger. It fitted perfectly.

"I love you" Kurt said.

"I love you, too" Blaine replied. Still kneeling on the ground, he pulled Kurt into his arms and kissed him, glad for the private room, so they could enjoy this moment without being scared that someone might see them. They had to announce the news soon because people would notice Kurt's ring sooner or later but it could wait a little more. It was their night, they could share the news with their fans the next day. Or a few days later. It so didn't matter right then and there.

~ o ~

All the lights were on, windows and doors securely locked, the alarm system on. Danny had checked everything four times. It wasn't like he didn't like being alone in the house. He had enjoyed the first two hours when it hadn't been dark outside. He had spent some time outside at the pool, then he had gone inside and ordered pizza. It had been great to have the house just for himself. But then the night came and Danny started worrying. He hated being alone in the dark house. It was one of his biggest secret, one that noone knew about. He was scared of being alone after darkness.

He knew that he had nothing to be scared of. Their house was most certainly the safest place of the whole city, Blaine always made sure to get them the newest alarm systems and nobody but their closest friends knew where they lived, so he was safe from his dads' crazy fans and possible criminals who wanted to kidnap him for ransom. It still didn't help that uneasy feeling that came out every time he was left alone. Because no matter how safe their house was, he knew that there were people out there who could get to him if they really wanted to.

It had happened once. Although Danny had just a few memories of that time of his life, he remembered exactly how scared he had been when Jeremy Carter had taken him from home and had held him captive for days. He still remembered the pain the man had caused him or the feeling of the gun pressed to his head. And that was what made him so scared of the darkness.

Danny closed his eyes and forced himself to take a few deep breath. He had to calm down. Kurt and Blaine could be back in any second and he didn't want to let them know how he felt. Kurt would be worried about him again and probably wouldn't let him out of his sight anytime soon. That was the last thing he needed. And he also had to find a way to fight down his fear because he would move out someday to start his own life and as much as he hoped that he wouldn't be single by that time, there was no guarantee that he would find someone. Especially if things didn't change drastically because right now he was nobody, just a loser without friends who spent his whole weekend with his dads because he had nobody else.

Danny finished his pizza on the living room's couch and when the movie he had been watching ended, he turned off the TV and got rid of the evidence that he had eaten in the living room. Kurt didn't like it when he brought food in there but since Kurt wasn't at home and wouldn't find out about it anyway, Danny thought that he deserved that much. It wasn't like he burnt down the house or something equally horrible. People usually ate in the living room, it was only Kurt who freaked out when his precious carpet got dirty.

He walked back into the living room to grab his phone and check on the doors again. Okay, it was insane but there was no way that he would go upstairs AND turn off the lights downstairs before making sure everything was locked and the security system worked properly. He might have tried to heal himself from his fear but it didn't mean he would be careless. He shook his head as he checked the front door, knowing how insane he was. He remembered when he had locked it before, of course it was still closed... He quickly turned off the first lights in the kitchen and the hall and then walked back into the living room.

Once his phone was in his hand, he turned off the light in the living room as well and then went to check on the security alarm one more time before moving back into his room. But as he passed the window, he glanced at the garden for a brief moment. Usually, there was nothing out of order out there. Their garden was mostly empty, they only had a few rose bushes, two old trees and grass everywhere else. He sighed in relief when he found the garden empty again and turned to walk out of the room. But then he saw something from the corner of his eyes. It was a shadow – and it was moving.

Danny shrieked and almost dropped his phone as he hastily crouched down. God, there was somebody in the garden... What should he do now?

He took a few deep breaths and shakily stood up. He had to make sure it wasn't just his imagination playing with him and if he was right – he hoped he wasn't –, he had to get help as soon as possible. He carefully peeked out of the window, searching for the shadow he had seen before. But the garden seemed quiet again, there was nobody out there. He pressed his eyes closed and sighed in relief. Of course it was his stupid mind playing with him again. It had happened before. He was so scared of the darkness that sometimes he made up things that weren't even there.

"It was the wind" he told himself. "It was just the wind. There's noone out there."

He kept his eyes on the garden for a few more minutes but nothing happened. He calmed down a bit and finally turned away from the window, berating himself for scaring himself uselessly again. He seriously had some trouble with his head. It wasn't normal that he saw things that weren't even there.

He checked the security alarm before moving to the stairs, deciding that he would spend the evening in his room, writing his blog and answering PMs. He had gotten two that day and it was time to answer those messages. It wasn't like he could sleep until the others got back from their dinner. Even if he calmed down a bit, there was no way in hell he could fall asleep when he was completely alone in the house.

He walked up the stairs, without looking back at the window one more time, to his luck. Because the man now standing in front of the window would surely have scared him to death.

~ o ~

The man walked back to the car and got inside, looking at the laptop in his boss' lap with a raised eyebrow.

"The kid saw you" his boss said.

"He saw a shadow. Nothing more" the man replied.

"You have to be more careful next time" his boss said, typing on his laptop. He had to change the recordings of the security camera before the bodyguard noticed anything. His man walking around in his garden, for example. Then he opened another window on his laptop and checked the messages. Nothing.

"I don't get it" the other man said after a while. "Why don't we go inside now, kill the kid and then wait for the others in there? It would be so easy to kill them now."

"Because the time isn't right" his boss said.

"It's not how your father did things" the man replied.

"My father is dead, Mick, and you're working for me now" the boss said seriously.

"I remember, Ethan" Mick said. "Although I liked how your father worked a lot better. It was quick, easy and bloody. What are you doing by the way?"

"Waiting for a message from William Sh" Ethan smirked. It hadn't been hard to find Danny's blog and get in touch with him. Now Danny believed that he was a nerd from another high school with similar problems. It went slowly because he had to be careful with what he said but it seemed like he would earn Danny's trust soon.

"I don't get. Why are you messing with the kid?" Mick asked.

"Because he will be our best source of informations" Ethan answered.

"You think that he will tell you anything?" Mick asked sceptically.

"You would be surprised how much these kids tell each other when they think they are anonymous" Ethan smiled. "And here it is. Danny's reply."

"We could kill him" Mick said, looking at the house. "You said you wanted to cause the bodyguard pain. It would surely upset him to find the kid dead."

"I want to break him. Big difference" Ethan said.

"I don't understand" Mick said.

Ethan rolled his eyes. Of course. He didn't keep Mick around because he was such a smart man.

"We could kill him right now, yes. It would surely upset Anderson but he would move on eventually. That's not what I want. I want to break him slowly. I want him to lose everything before I strike. I want him to beg for death before I finally kill him" Ethan said.

"It will take you some time" Mick said.

"Ten years in that hell taught me how to be patient" Ethan replied.

His phone beeped and he laughed as he read the text.

"Our lovebirds got engaged" Ethan said. "It's just getting better. Blaine gets everything he wants and then I come and destroy everything. Perfect."

"If you say so" Mick shrugged. He didn't see how this plan could work but Ethan was his boss and he did as he was told. No question. Or not too many. That was how he had survived in this business for the past twenty years.

"Don't worry, if everything goes according to the plan, I will get you one of them to play with. The fiancé or the kid, your choice" Ethan said after a while.

Mick smiled. Now that sounded like a great plan.