Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It was wintertime at Dalton, approaching Christmas and it was beginning to dawn on the boys. The long awaited snow days and treasured low amounts of exams, the opposite of what the Dalton boys were used to. But one of Dalton's annual traditions, the winter dance, was the one that filled everyone's minds, distracting each teenager as they half-heartedly attempted to concentrate on lessons, something most teachers had given up on. Instead they gave Christmas themed tests and activities, knowing the boys were currently incapable of doing anything productive.

It was the topic of the winter dance that Blaine had been pulled out of lessons a few days ago, the one that had lead him to the voice that played over and over in his head. For a while, he had procrastinated thinking about what the teacher had told him, instead putting his effort into finding the owner of the music, yet, when that trail eventually ran cold for him, the thoughts floated back to his mind, dancing in front of him, teasing him.

The winter dance was a time students at Dalton would invite their family and showcase their work, the Warblers traditionally performing the music. Most students looked forward to the event as, because they boarded, not many saw their families too often, especially as most parents were usually busy people who owned large companies. But the winter dance, they'd always clear room for on their calendars, knowing the importance of the tradition to their sons.

Blaine was the exception to this.

Instead of his parents attending, he only ever saw his brother, Cooper, at anything like the dance, that was, unless his father needed him for a work gathering to portray him better as a family man. Blaine was only wanted when his father needed something.

This was why Blaine had been pulled out of lessons. This year, unlike any other, he'd been informed that his father would actually be coming to the dance. And to be honest, Blaine didn't know what to do.

This was the man who had practically abandoned him after he came out, forcing Blaine to rely on Cooper and therefore forcing a lot more responsibility on his older brother's shoulders than he should have had to deal with. His father had, in Blaine's opinion, disowned him, so why did he want to get to know him now?

The dark haired boy rolled over on his side in his bed, slowly sinking into a restless sleep.

The alarm beeped loudly from underneath the boy's pillow, sounding almost deafening in contrast to the heavy silence that surrounded him. In truth, he'd never really been asleep, instead mentally going over the layout of the school. He and his brother had each decided to tackle one house each tonight, leaving the other two for tomorrow. Fors was tackling Windsor, he would be attempting Lincoln. That way, it would leave Kennedy and Thatcher, the two easiest to break into, for later.

"Fors? You ready?"

"I think so," -a shuffling noise as the often boy checker his bag quickly, "yep. You?"

"Yeah," Theo had already checked his several times and had everything he could think of- a torch, paper clips, the essentials. "And remember, you're only in trouble if you get caught- so don't let anyone catch you."

"I know, and make sure you avoid leaving any footprints or anything."

"Yep.. do you wanna go now?"

"Guess it's as good time as any- let's go."

Both boys pulled on their matching, black, tight gloves. They weren't criminals, and had no aspiration to be, but when the two knew what they wanted, not even a little drawback like their activities being illegal would stop them.

A short while later, Theo was standing outside the Lincoln's building. He doubted Blaine would fall in love with anyone in there, in fact, he'd be slightly disappointed if the other boy did- everyone in Lincoln couldn't be trusted. And that wasn't a stereotype, it was truth. He sighed quietly and pulled out his torch, slinging his backpack over his shoulder afterwards and beginning to scout around the grounds. Security cameras weren't a problem, the twins had already disarmed them. It surprised them how easy it had been compared to others and made them question just how safe the school actually was. They'd shrugged it off though, it was something they had talent at.

It didn't take very long before Theo managed to find an entrance. Unlike his brother, he disliked using the front door, knowing that there was a bigger chance of him getting caught that way as the doors at the front gave off a loud squeaking noise whenever it was opened. This was due to him and Fors getting annoyed by one of them- they'd forgotten who- and rubbing a concoction they'd made into the joints. It was because Theo remembered little things like this he'd chosen to search Lincoln. He knew there was less chance of him getting caught.

Looking around in the darkness and listening for anyone who could be near, Theo slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out two paper clips and unfolding them, one slightly longer than the other. After a few quick twists, the lock opened and the side door easily opened at the touch of his hand.

Inside it was pitch black, but turned off his light having turned it on so he could see whilst he was picking the lock. He already knew his way around backwards, having broken in many times before to rescue objects the Lincolns had taken from the boys in Windsor, or because of simply 'borrowing' a few of their possessions for blackmailing purposes. Of course, they never actually took them, the twins were too clever for that, instead they hid them somewhere in the building so they were never caught. Or at least, nobody would have any evidence against them. Silently, Theo moved up the stairs and began to scout the building, moving as stealthily as a ninja.

Fors wasn't having much luck finding another pair of Kurt's shoes that belonged to someone else. He'd already searched the entire west wing, surprised when he found most of the boys slept with their doors unlocked. That was good, it meant he didn't have to keep messing about picking locks. However, it did raise the question that he wasn't doing enough to scare them into locking them.

He walked over to the west wing, the process repeating, but still, he found no other shoes. But he did find the snake that had eventually turned out to be a slow worm curled up beside Roddy and Kurt and Blaine sat in bed together, watching a movie Fors guessed to be Disney. He didn't need to check that room, knowing that the two in there were either already a suspect, or the boy who had fallen in love.

Smiling, he slipped back into his room, sitting on his bed with full intention of staying up until Theo got back so he could check he was safe and compare notes. Unfortunately, sleep was very persistent and, without his permission, Fors found himself being pulled into its grasp.

Theo was on the top floor of Lincoln when he found it. Not the shoes he'd been looking for, but something the teenager found even more intriguing. It was a double dorm, identical to the rest unlike the dorms in Windsor. A single boy lay in the bed, wrapped in blankets with his mouth falling open unattractively. He reminded Theo slightly of a hippo.

Ignoring the putrid odour radiating from the boy Theo now deemed to be one of Harrison's cronies, a sidekick he used a lot when bullying other kids. But this drooling oaf hadn't been what had drawn Theo into the room, it was something else, something Theo couldn't put his his finger on.

Then, it clicked.

In the Lincoln rooms, everything was always a carbon copy of the other rooms.. so why did this room have an extra closet? He was sure Tweedle Dumb didn't need three for his clothes. Without a second glance, Theo took a swift few steps over to the wardrobe, pulling the doors to find they were locked.

"Curiouser and curiouser," whispered Theo, quoting Alice in Wonderland as his eyebrows raised, surprised. He pulled out his paper clips, undoing the padlock in around a minute. It was a weird place for a lock like this. It was a heavy duty one, quite unlike the usual, cheap ones Theo was used to. He paused for a moment, flipping the weight over in his hand inquisitively before placing it beside him on a nearby table. He opened the door. And felt his jaw fall wide open.

Inside, there were no clothes, but there were pictures. Hundreds, thousands, each a different size and shape, pinned to the back wall in layers. But one thing they all had in common? It was the same boy in each.

The same eyes.

The same gelled hair.

The same dress sense.

It was as if someone had made it their duty to capture every movement of this boy and use him as their own little project. There were pictures here Theo even recognized, they were recent, only happening a few days ago. One from last Monday when Blaine had lost against Wes in a game of snakes and ladders. One of Blaine asleep in his room, a laptop lying next to him. There was even one showing what Blaine had eaten for breakfast yesterday.

As Theo looked closer, he saw the dates went back to at least his fifth birthday, judging by the amount of candles on his cake. It looked like a family photo, it had his mother and Cooper behind him, leaning in next to him and smiling as he blew out his candles. It must have been stolen from some kind of family album.

And it made Theo sick.

One particular image stood out to Theo in the top corner. At least, it wasn't an image as such, more a private memo to the owner of the closet. It was what appeared to be a phone number, a name scrawled above it in almost unreadable calligraphy. So bad, that Theo could only work out the first letter, a K.

Suddenly, a floorboard creaked behind him, warning him he'd been spotted. For fear of whoever it was discovering his identity, Theo couldn't turn around, but instead tried to work out the quickest way out with the door blocked. His thought stream came to a quick halt though as his head was filled with a violent pain, blurring his vision. He fell to his knees, clutching at his skull as it dawned on him whoever had seen him must have hit him with something. Luckily, he had fallen facing away from his assailant so his identity was still protected.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you bad things come to those who are nosy? Because now I really can't let you go."

He shuddered at the thought of what that could mean.

The words rang louder in Theo's head than he cared to admit, but as he got more and more used to the pain, he realised he recognised the menacing voice.

"Now.." a hand was placed on Theo's shoulder, "I wonder who you are..?"

But before the hand could twist the dark haired teenager around, the boy quickly rolled away from the attacker, getting near the only exit that wasn't blocked: the window.

Without even opening the glass, Theo ran at the window, stage diving through the hole into the darkness outside.

A feeble miss for a guttering pipe.

A lost grab for the fire exit ladder.

Falling.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Theo made one last grab for something, anything, to slow him down. After what felt like a lifetime, he managed to make a swipe at a window ledge, the speed he was falling making him unable to stop, but enough time for him to swing himself towards a bit of roofing which stuck out slightly. He hit it with a thud but luckily didn't hear any crunching sounds from any of his bones breaking. He rolled sideways across the roof, getting pieces of moss stuck in his hair as he did so, but thankfully, it gave him enough time for his free running skills to kick into action.

He was unpractised, but he made use of whatever few skills he'd managed to learn. His older brother, Timon- or Timmy as he liked to be called, had taught him most of it. Or at least, started to teach him them. A few days after they started, he was called in for some business in New Delhi and hadn't been seen since. Missing in action the government had told them. But you could tell by their eyes he was presumed dead.

That was why he and Fors never spoke about him. It hurt.

Finally, with an almost sickening thud, Theo hit the ground, rolling forward so he didn't break his legs. The fall had felt like a lifetime, when, in truth, it had been a matter of seconds. The boy winced as he slowly pulled himself to his feet and limped away, knowing Blaine now had to be protected, he doubted his assailant had meant sending him on a holiday vacation to Spain when he'd said he 'couldn't let him go'. Gritting his teeth, he squinted in the darkness to see his way.

He didn't return until sunrise.