Author's Note: Hello. I'm actually surprised that this didn't take me longer to post… mostly because I've been very busy, and also because it's an intense part of the story that needed a lot of work. But, naturally, I got excited and just kept on writing! I hope I pulled it together nicely. Leave me your thoughts! :)

And, yes, the title is based off the song, which is also worked into the chapter. Although, it is honestly just a coincidence to the fact that they're doing a Michael Jackson tribute episode; I couldn't help myself when I realized how well it fit into this chapter.

Okay, here it is. As always, thank you for your wonderful reviews and encouragement. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the show Glee. Song credits in this chapter go to Michael Jackson: "Thriller."

~Chapter 19: Thriller Night~

Blaine followed Tina through the door and into a world of make-believe. Under flashing lights, the bodies of a hundred different creatures intermingled. The house was huge and had been rearranged perfectly to fit the many guests as they danced and showed off their disguised appearances. But from the noise of the people laughing all around him to the sight of happy couples and excited groups of friends, Blaine found himself feeling very out of place.

His thoughts were stuck on Kurt.

He didn't know why he had let Tina talk him into this. For one thing, he certainly was not in the mood for partying- he would have much rather sulked in his room for the night. He also wasn't so sure that he was prepared to confront Kurt yet. They had a lot to talk about, and chances were that Kurt was still angry and wouldn't even want to see him.

Blaine was practically walking back out the front door when Tina linked her arm through his and led him across the room to where a group of New Directions members had gathered. Among them, Blaine caught a glimpse of Mercedes… but no Kurt. Blaine frowned, unsure whether to feel relieved or disappointed by his absence.

"You look good, Blaine!" Brittany called over the blaring music.

Blaine winced slightly at the volume of her voice, and then forced a smile. "Thanks, Brit," he answered, glancing over her outfit and trying to formulate a compliment. Unfortunately, it was hard to determine what she was supposed to be- her costume looked like a combination of the Cheshire Cat and Cinderella. "You look… um, what are you?"

Brittany smiled, apparently unsurprised by his dilemma. "I'm Lord Tubbington in drag, duh!"

Grinning in return, Blaine nodded and hoped she didn't notice how confused he was. She was a sweet girl, after all, even if she didn't make any sense most of the time… and assumed that he was familiar with this Lord Tubbing-Whatever.

"Did you see Kurt yet? He went to go get me some punch. His outfit's really pretty." She glanced down at her own costume and frowned. "I would have looked prettier than him, but Lord Tubb has awful fashion sense."

Blaine shook his head, trying his best to look sympathetic as he fought back a laugh. He was about to give in and ask who Brittany was talking about when something caught his eye.

He almost forgot his own name.

Approaching their group was a boy, and he was dressed entirely in white. He wore impossibly tight jeans, tall boots, and a loose shirt that had been carefully adjusted on one side to reveal the perfect skin at his shoulder. And then there were the wings, protruding from his back like two beautiful, iridescent flower petals. Kurt.

Blaine remembered that day when they had first met, when Kurt had looked so innocent, too pretty to ignore. He remembered seeing him broken and scared after Karofsky had forced that kiss on him. And then the night Kurt had come to take care of Blaine at the theatre, in the cold and rainy darkness. He remembered waking up to Kurt in the hospital, his throat still burning with the taste of smoke…

The realization hit with full-on force. Kurt had always been his angel.

x.x.x

Kurt stopped in his tracks, his eyes locking with Blaine's. He was caught off-guard at the sight of him, but it was his costume that surprised Kurt the most. Blaine was Rockstar Boy all over again, like the first time Kurt had ever seen him. The leather jacket, the dark jeans… everything. He looked like the boy who rode motorcycles, the boy who had the guts to run into burning buildings. He looked like the sort of person who could stand up to people, no matter what they thought of him, especially to help someone he cared about.

Blaine was strong. He was Kurt's hero, his rockstar.

x.x.x

The pulsing bass came to an abrupt stop. In that brief moment of silence, Blaine felt the world kick back into gear. It was like all the clocks had stopped when he'd laid eyes on Kurt and realized that he didn't want to fight anymore.

As a slow song began to play, couples swayed and held each other close. Everything felt softer all of a sudden, quieter. Kurt dropped his gaze and moved closer to the group. He looked to Brittany, offering her the glass of punch he was holding. She took it with a smile. "Thanks, Kurt," she said. "See, Blaine? I told you he looked awesome."

Kurt blushed faintly, glancing down again and then sneaking a gaze at Blaine through his eyelashes. It was strange to see Kurt so shy and quiet. They had been so close, and now it felt as though there were miles between them.

Blaine swallowed hard and nodded his agreement. "He does," he replied softly.

Kurt's lips twitched upward. "You really think so?"

Blaine couldn't take it anymore- it was clearly impossible to be angry at Kurt Hummel. In response, he laughed softly and offered him a hand. Kurt hesitated for a moment, and then their fingers intertwined, and Blaine led Kurt to an empty corner of the room.

Kurt looked at him before letting out a heavy sigh. "Blaine-" he started.

"Wait, Kurt, I have to tell you something," Blaine interjected. He took Kurt's other hand, clasping both between them. Then the words poured out, bringing with them all of his feelings, worries, and regrets. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I never meant to make you scared or upset. Maybe you've noticed that I tend to make quick decisions, and sometimes I choose the riskiest option, but I always have good intentions. You've done so much for me and I just want to keep you safe and make you happy, but I'm… I'm nowhere near as grounded and smart as you are. You know who you are, and I just feel like I'm floating around trying to prove that I'm actually good enough for someone like you. Because I'm not- no one is- and you don't deserve to feel like someone you trust is turning against you any more than you deserve to have a couple of sweaty football jerks giving you a hard time."

Kurt's eyes sparkled as he turned his head and gazed across the room. He let out a single, soft laugh, like a breath of air, and then returned his eyes to meet Blaine's. "I'm sorry, too," he admitted. "I've been acting like a control freak. I mean, as if you need more stress in your life. I should have been there for you to help you get through your first weeks of school, but instead I made you stay away." He paused and squeezed Blaine's hand tightly. "I know I tried to justify the things I did but the whole idea was selfish to begin with and I didn't have any right to make you feel so alone. I don't want you to be alone. Ever. No matter what people say or do. Because they can't touch us. Or what we have."

Blaine just stared at Kurt, completely at a loss for the words to describe how he felt. Love had never had any real meaning to him until Kurt came around, and now he finally understood why people wrote songs and books about it, why it was the one aspect of life people craved more than anything. "Dance with me?" he asked, smiling and feeling ridiculous because he didn't know what else to say, but that was alright.

Kurt laughed and pulled his arms around Blaine's neck, leaning into him with a happy sigh. "Anytime."

Blaine wrapped his own arms around Kurt, taking care to avoid the beautifully-crafted wings. Together, they moved gently to the music, until the song ended and Kurt looked up to meet Blaine's eyes. And despite the fact that they were in a crowded room and surrounded by people who simply would never understand, Kurt leaned in and softly pressed his lips to Blaine's.

Things were changing.

x.x.x

Blaine pulled away from Kurt at the sudden uproar of voices from across the room. The guests near the front door looked alarmed, and many were creeping out of the way like frightened animals, avoiding something just beyond his sight.

"Where is he? I know he's in here!"

Blaine staggered back at the infuriated voice as it carried over the murmuring party-goers. That voice…

That voice.

No.

God, no. Not here. Not now.

…And then the music started to play again, the only sound rising above the roar in Blaine's ears...

"It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark.
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart…"

"You can't hide from me anymore, boy. Show yourself and face me like a man. If that's what you really are. Come on, where the hell are you?"

"You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it.
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes.
You're paralyzed."

Blaine's breath felt labored, like all the oxygen had been instantaneously sucked out of the room. His eyes widened in shock, and everything around him seemed to fade into nothingness. "Kurt," he choked out, his gaze still trained in the direction of the voice. "Kurt, we have to- we have to get out of here-"

Quinn stormed into sight, clearing a path to the front of the room. All around her, guests moved out of the way to make room for the voluminous skirts of her fairytale ballgown. "Excuse me!" she snapped. "What the hell is going on?"

"And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike-"

Ignoring her, the source of the voice- a dark-haired man in a t-shirt, jeans, and work boots- shoved his way into the room, his eyes searching intently as he scanned the many faces.

Blaine shrunk back. He could hear Kurt speaking, but it was hard to make out the words, as everything else in the room had evaporated.

Everything except for the man's eyes as they landed on him.

Hazel eyes. Blaine's eyes.

"Blaine," Kurt said softly. "That's him, isn't it?"

"You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight."

God, Blaine didn't want to answer that question. He swallowed thickly, repositioning himself so that Kurt was safe behind him. Then he watched his father begin to stride forward. Blaine nodded once. "Yes. It's him."

x.x.x

Kurt watched the man come closer, and it was as if all the worst fears he and Blaine had shared over the past few weeks were charging straight for them. He felt his hands shaking, his mouth bone-dry. They had to do something. Fast.

"Blaine-" Kurt said, reaching for his arm in an attempt to pull him back.

And then Mr. Anderson punched Blaine hard in the jaw, and all hell broke loose. "You useless, deceiving little faggot."

"You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run.
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun."

Blaine staggered back into Kurt, who caught him under the arms as girls around them began to shriek.

"Hey, lay off, man!" Finn burst out loudly, breaking through the crowd and roughly shoving Mr. Anderson away.

"No, Finn, stop-"

Finn threw a glance over his shoulder at Kurt as Mr. Anderson struggled against him. "I can handle it. You guys get out of here. Just… go. Hurry."

"You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination.
But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind.
You're out of time."

Blaine turned to Kurt and offered a hand, his eyes huge and scared and pleading. Kurt blinked at the sight of the bruise forming on the side of his face, the blood trickling from his swollen lip...

"Don't you dare try to run away from me!" Mr. Anderson barked. Blaine ignored him, keeping his gaze on Kurt, waiting for him.

In the midst of his struggle against Finn's restraint, Mr. Anderson's eyes found Kurt's for a moment, and Kurt was frozen by the hate they exhibited. It almost physically hurt to look into those eyes.

"Kurt, just go!" Tina appeared behind him, shoving him towards Blaine.

"There ain't no second chance against the thing with forty eyes-"

At last, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand, and they burst into a run, passing a horrified-looking Quinn on the way out the front door, ignoring Mr. Anderson's protests as he shouted after them…

"Night creatures calling, the dead start to walk in their masquerade.
There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time.
This is the end of your life."