Hi Everyone!
Here is the new chapter, I hope you like it.
Danny closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. He was so tired. He wanted to sleep so badly but those images didn't let him rest. He had no idea what they meant. They didn't seem like memories, more like those hallucinations he had during the day. They were just imagines, nothing more. One of a needle. Another one of being held down. Than there were those feelings, pain and fear. They were so confusing. He tried to get them out of his head but he couldn't get rid of them.
He sighed and turned to his back, staring at the ceiling. It was still too early to get up. Blaine was surely still asleep and Danny had no idea what to do. He wanted to talk to someone because he felt so lonely right now and felt like being with someone he trusted would help. But then he remembered what had happened the previous day. His memories cloudy as if they weren't even real but he knew that it had happened this time. He had lost control and he hadn't been alone this time. Blaine had seen him, he knew that something was wrong with him. And it scared the boy. Blaine would surely tell Kurt about it and the man would freak out. Yes, he knew Kurt. He would take him to the therapist again and make him talk. But Danny didn't want to talk to that woman. He wanted to deal with his problems alone.
Maybe that was the solution, he told himself. Maybe he should give up fighting and just let those images come. Maybe if he stopped trying to suppress them, they would let him understand things better. As he thought about it and relaxed a bit, a new image appeared. He found himself in a dark alley this time, he was scared but there was that strange feeling of relief, too. He wasn't alone. There was Kurt, too, seemingly desperate, but still there. The boy opened his eyes again and frowned. What were these images supposed to mean? Damn, he was so confused…
He decided to get up and make a coffee for himself. He usually didn't drink coffee, he didn't like its taste but he was so exhausted, he needed something to keep him awake. He had to get ready for school soon, go home to change clothes and then act like everything was fine again. He was so tired of it. He wanted to stay strong for Kurt and Blaine but he wasn't sure if he could do it again.
"You are weak."
The mug fell from his hand as he turned around sharply to face the man who kept haunting him day and night. He was shaking badly as he looked around, searching for the source of the voice, but he didn't find anything. He was all alone in the kitchen. Well, for a moment.
Seconds later, the door opened and Blaine rushed inside, his eyes wide, seemingly scared. He looked around as if he expected to find somebody else there but relaxed a bit when he saw that it was just Danny.
"What happened?" he asked.
Danny looked down at the pieces of the mug at his feet.
"I-I broke the mug" he said.
Blaine wasn't angry. He stepped to him and crouched down to collect the pieces from the ground. He grimaced when he noticed the small patches of blood on Danny's bare feet.
"You must have cut yourself" Blaine said. "Stay still until I clean this up."
"Okay" Danny said quietly. He watched the blood on feet and another memory came into his mind. Blaine lying on the ground in his own blood, not moving. Desperation. Fear. A strong hold on him that didn't let him go anywhere.
"Are you okay?" Blaine asked in concern.
"He shot you" Danny muttered.
"Oh" Blaine said and glanced at his shoulder. "It's fine, Danny. I'm already healed."
Danny couldn't let those images out of his head. He had never been so scared before. But that day… It had been horrible. He remembered being forced away from Blaine and down those stairs. There had been a gun, too. He had had no choice. Somebody had screamed for help, had it been him? He wasn't sure. Things were so confusing.
"Come on" Blaine said as he gently took the boy's uninjured hand. "We should clean out those cuts."
Danny nodded and silently followed Blaine back to the living room. He took a place on the couch and watched in silence as Blaine took care of the cuts that kept bleeding.
"They aren't deep" Blaine said. "I have no idea why they keep bleeding."
"It's fine" Danny said. He wasn't in pain and wounds healed. At least on the surface.
"What were you doing in the kitchen?" Blaine asked after a while.
"I couldn't sleep" Danny answered.
"You shouldn't be alone" Blaine said.
"I know" Danny said. "I only hear him when I'm alone."
"Who?" Blaine asked.
Danny remained silent. Blaine would think that he was crazy and talk to Kurt. He couldn't let it happen. He was fine. Fine. Fine. He wanted to be so badly.
"I think you should stay home for a while" Blaine said gently. "You're clearly not ready for school. It would just make everything worse."
"Because I'm crazy?" Danny asked.
Blaine looked up into the boy's eyes and smiled sadly.
"You're not crazy" he said. "Traumatized? Yes. But not crazy."
"I want to feel normal again" Danny whispered.
"You will" Blaine reassured him. "You might need some more time but you will get better."
"When?" Danny asked.
Blaine sighed heavily. He wished he knew the answers.
"You have to face your fears to get over them" he said, hoping that he wouldn't cause any trouble. "And you have to have to get over them to feel normal again. It's a long process. It won't happen too soon."
Danny sighed and looked away.
"I'm so tired" he said.
"I know" Blaine nodded. "I'll call Kurt again. If he agrees, you could stay with me today."
"You have to work" Danny pointed out.
"There's nothing I can't do from home" Blaine told him. That wasn't true. He had a lot of research to make but he wouldn't leave Danny like this. He needed him.
"I want to stay" Danny said.
"Alright" Blaine smiled and squeezed his hand. "Stay here. I'll make you breakfast."
As Blaine left the room, another image came to view. A memory? Maybe.
This isn't about you. Or Kurt. I only want Blaine. That's why I'm offering you a way out.
Danny had no idea what it was about but it scared him so much. Was Blaine in danger? He had to remember. If that man was still out there and wanted to hurt Blaine, he had to do something. He already had an idea...
~ o ~
Kurt ran out of the house when he noticed Blaine's car and was at the door before Danny could get out. He pulled the boy into his arms and kissed his forehead. He was so worried about Danny. Blaine had told him everything and it scared him. He had been such an idiot. He had known that Danny wasn't ready to go back to school, he shouldn't let him leave the house so soon. Thank God Blaine was there. Who knew what could have happened to the boy without him.
"Are you okay?" Kurt asked as he pulled away from Danny to check on him.
"Yeah" Danny said quietly. Everyone kept asking him this and he kept repeating the same thing as if it would make it real. But he was far from being fine.
"I'm so sorry, honey" Kurt said. "I didn't have my phone and…"
"It's fine, Kurt" Blaine said. "I took care of everything."
Kurt didn't think. He was so glad Blaine had been there when Danny had needed him, he didn't even know what he was doing as he stepped to the man and threw his arms around him. It felt so nice. Having Blaine so close after all these weeks felt better than anything.
"Thank you" he said.
"It's completely normal" Blaine said but didn't move away. He enjoyed having Kurt so close just as much as the other man.
It didn't last as long as he wanted, though. Kurt realized what he was doing soon after that and stepped away from Blaine, looking down awkwardly.
"Why don't we go inside?" Blaine offered.
"Of course" Kurt nodded and walked back to Danny to put an arm around him. "Come on, honey. You must be tired."
Danny nodded in silence. He wanted to sleep so badly. Although he had had a lot more sleep than usually that night, the nightmares made him tired all the time. He could use some more sleep.
"Are you hungry?" Kurt asked.
"No. I just want to sleep" Danny said.
"Do you want me to go upstairs with you?" Kurt offered.
"I'll be fine" Danny said.
Both men watched as he slowly walked to the stairs and disappeared from their sight soon after that. When they heard the door being closed, Kurt sighed and turned to look at Blaine.
"What happened to him?" Kurt asked.
"Panic attack" Blaine said. "I have no idea what caused it. The teacher said that he had been fine until he went out to the bathroom."
"Do you think somebody hurt him?" Kurt asked in concern.
"I don't think so" Blaine said. "But I don't think he's ready for school. There are too many people around and he seemingly isn't ready for that."
"You might be right" Kurt nodded. "I didn't want this. I thought…"
"I know" Blaine said gently. "You wanted the best for him. But he isn't ready."
"I guess I have to talk to the principal again" Kurt said, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Do you want me to do it?" Blaine offered.
"No. I can take care of everything" Kurt said.
Kurt might have acted like he was fine but he was far from that. Blaine could see how exhausted the other man was. Kurt was so pale and looked a lot older than before. It was so hard for him and he wanted to help him badly.
"You know, if you need someone to talk to…"
"I'm fine, Blaine" Kurt said quickly. "Thank you for everything."
He expected Blaine to leave but the man didn't move. Kurt gulped nervously. He was afraid of talking to Blaine because he always thought that the man knew more than he was supposed to.
"Is there something else you want to talk about?" Kurt asked.
"You said that you found Danny on the driveway" Blaine said slowly.
"Uhm… yes?" Kurt said uncertainly. He knew this look. And he didn't like where this conversation was heading.
"It's interesting" Blaine said. "Ethan is a clever man. He surely knew that there were cameras all around the house. Why did he risk getting caught when he could have lured you to an alley or something?"
Blaine was afraid that Kurt would faint. He turned so pale so quickly and his eyes were full of fear. He could have been a great actor but now that Blaine practically told him that he knew the truth, he panicked.
"The cameras weren't working" Kurt said quickly. "I turned them off. All of them."
"Why did you do that?" Blaine asked.
Kurt had no idea what to say. He was so lost in his lies that it was too late to come back. Blaine knew. He knew everything and he would screw up everything and Ethan would take Danny away and he wouldn't see him ever again…
Blaine didn't say anything more. He smiled sadly and stepped closer to Kurt.
"I want you to be safe" he said gently.
Something hard was pressed into his hand and Kurt looked down to see what it was. His eyes widened when he realized that it was a gun. A real one.
"I don't… I-I…"
"You have to be able to defend yourself. And Danny" Blaine said. "You know how to use it."
"Yes" Kurt whispered.
Blaine hesitated for a second but then pulled Kurt into his arms for a brief moment. Kurt didn't even have time to hug back or pull away, Blaine wasn't sure which one he would have chosen. He stepped away from the man and took a deep breath before turning to leave. The silence had told him more than anything Kurt had told him. They both knew. Blaine didn't need words anymore to know why Kurt had broken up with him. He was scared. Ethan had threatened him and he was too scared to listen to Blaine anymore. He wouldn't change his mind, not until Blaine showed him that he had nothing to be scared of. And that was exactly what he wanted to do.
~ o ~
Kurt was falling apart. He had tried to stay strong, really, but he wasn't sure he could do it anymore. Danny's panic attack scared him. He made that day free to stay with the boy but he had to go to work the next day again and it meant leaving his son alone. There was another option, of course. He could ask Blaine to come over or take Danny with him for a while, until Kurt figured out how to deal with this new life. He still didn't call Blaine. He knew that Blaine would be happy to be with Danny and probably wouldn't mind taking a few days off, but it would mean meeting him again and that was what Kurt wanted the least. Blaine asked too many questions and their last conversation scared him to death. How could he forget about the cameras? He should have known that Blaine would watch the recordings. He wasn't stupid, he knew that Blaine had already seen them, so he also knew that Kurt had lied to him. And if he knew, he wouldn't stop searching until he figured out what had really happened that night. Kurt had to figure out what to do. He had to convince Blaine somehow to stpp trying because if Ethan figured out that he knew everything, he would come back. Although the man had left them alone since that night, Kurt could feel that he was around. He couldn't explain that feeling but he knew. He could feel the danger every second of every day. Yes, it was still there and Kurt had to be very careful with his actions. He had been careless before, because he had been too worried about his son but it had to end. Now when he still had a chance to correct things, before it was too late.
He walked upstairs that night, feeling more exhausted than before. This situation was too much for him, he was so worried all the time and it made him so tired. He wanted to sleep so badly, rest without nightmares and worries, just for one night. Before moving back to his room, though, he went to check on Danny first. To his surprise, the boy was still awake, sitting on his bed with his back pressed to the bed frame, watching the ceiling.
"Is everything alright?" Kurt asked in concern as he stepped into the room. Danny had stayed in his room for the whole day, mostly sleeping but he hadn't gone downstairs even when he had been awake. He was so quiet again.
"Yeah" Danny said, his eyes still on the ceiling. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?" Kurt asked as he joined him on the bed.
Danny took a deep breath and turned to look at him, his eyes full of concern.
"I… I keep having these flashbacks" he started hesitantly.
"What kind of flashbacks?" Kurt asked, trying to hide how worried he was. No. Danny couldn't remember that night. He had to keep him safe and he could only do it if Danny didn't know the truth.
"I'm not sure they are flashbacks" Danny said. "I know it's weird but my mind is messing with me all the time and I can't really decide what's real."
"It's normal" Kurt said. "Maybe I can help you. What are those… hallucinations about?"
Danny seemed hurt for a second, probably because Kurt called those pictures hallucinations without knowing anything, but his eyes changed back within seconds. Maybe because he knew that Kurt might have been right about this.
"I… It's stupid" he said as he looked down. "I know you said that you found me on the driveway but… I keep dreaming about an alley. I'm pulled out of a car and you run to me and pull me into your arms. And I feel safe again."
Kurt took a few deep breaths, trying not to panic. That was what he was so scared of, that Danny would remember that night. What should he do? Tell him that he was right? Or lie to him? Why did he have to go through this? He didn't want to hurt this family, especially not his child who had gone through so much. But he knew what was the best for them.
"Honey, it's just a dream" he said in the end. "I guess this is your way to process things. You don't want to accept the truth and your mind came up with a better explanation."
"Oh" Danny muttered. "That… That might be true."
"I know you want to remember everything but you shouldn't try so hard" Kurt said. "The memories will come back. Don't worry about them."
"You might be right" Danny muttered.
"Because I am" Kurt said with a forced smile. "Sleep, honey. It's been a long day."
Danny sighed and climbed under the comforter. Kurt stayed with him for a while, holding his hands in his until Danny fell asleep. Then he pressed a kiss to the boy's forehead and quietly left the room. He walked back into his own room and was about to change clothes when his phone rang. Kurt reached for it immediately, sighing heavily. He just wanted to sleep. Why couldn't people leave him alone?
"Kurt Hummel" he said, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Good evening, Kurt."
Kurt was pretty sure that his heart stopped for a moment when he recognized the voice. It had been a while since he had heard him but he would have been happy not to hear about him anymore.
"Ethan" he whispered.
"Ah, so you remember me" the other man said happily. "I thought you already forgot about me."
"What do you want?" Kurt asked shakily.
"To say hi" Ethan laughed. "It's been a long time since we last met."
"You said that you would leave us alone" Kurt said. "I did as you told me. What else do you want?"
"You did as I told you? Are you sure?" Ethan asked. "That hug today didn't look too friendly. Are you sure there isn't more between you and Blaine than friendship?"
"There's nothing between us!" Kurt said quickly.
"I'm not sure, you know" Ethan said. "How is Danny doing? Does he talk about me a lot? I miss having him around."
"Leave him alone!" Kurt shouted.
"I'm just worried about him. That panic attack yesterday seemed really bad" Ethan said.
Kurt couldn't breath. If Ethan knew about that, it must have meant that he had been at the school the previous day. He had been following Danny. God, he could have hurt him… How could he let his son leave the house when that monster was still out there? How could he be so stupid?
"Oh, I see he's already asleep. Good. He needs a lot of rest."
Now Kurt was panicking. How did Ethan know what Danny was doing? How could he see him?
A horrible thought crossed his mind and he ran into Danny's room, only to find the boy totally alone. Danny moaned and raised his head but when he saw that it was only Kurt, he went back to sleep immediately.
"How…"
"I told you" Ethan said. "I know about everything you do. I see and hear you all the time, so don't try anything if you don't want to lose your son."
He disconnected the call before Kurt had a chance to say anything. The man stared down at the phone in his shaking hand with wide eyes. Damn, it was close. He had been careless and had stupidly forgotten about the danger. Even if it was just a moment, Ethan had seen it. Kurt was pretty sure that this was his last warning. He would come for Danny if it happened again.
If he found out about it… Kurt walked out of Danny's room, trying to find out how the man knew about everything they did. He wasn't there, so how could he see and hear everything?
He tried so hard to find the answer but it didn't come. It was impossible. Their house was clean, nobody was allowed to step inside unless they passed the bodyguards. Ethan couldn't see or hear them.
But he still did.
They weren't safe. Even with the bodyguards in the house, they were in danger.
Kurt quickly walked back into his room, locked the door from inside and took a few deep breaths as he walked to his nightstand. He opened the drawer and grabbed the gun Blaine had given him. He quickly checked if it was loaded and then pulled it close to his chest. He had to keep it close all the time because now it was clear that he had to keep his eyes open and be ready for everything. And he had to be careful. More careful than before. If something happened to Danny, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
"I won't let that happen" he whispered to himself. "I won't let you hurt him again."
He held the gun away and pointed it at the wall. Yes, he could do it. He would shoot that lunatic if he went close his son again. He had been careless and weak once, he had let Blaine deal with everything, but it was over. Now it was just him. And he would defend his family if he had to.