The child's eyes snapped open as he realized he was surrounded by complete darkness. It was the kind of darkness that only came on a night when there was no moon in the sky and a person found himself home alone, and yet paranoia would descend from nowhere, followed by a curious, soft knocking sound coming from the other side of the bedroom door. It was the kind of night that made you afraid to stand for fear of a hand reaching out from under the bed and feeling it's cold fingers lustfully wrap around your ankle. The fear of what was being masked in the suffocating darkness. The terror of the realization when you discover you forgot to lock the front door.

Alfred tried to curl himself up as small as possible and retreat to the comfort of hiding under his blanket where the monsters couldn't find him. That was how the mind of a child worked after all; when big brother was out late and he was afraid of the boogey man who hid in his closet, only the act of disappearing into the folds of his soft comforter could calm him.

Another nightmare… He tried the trick Iggy had taught him; breathe in for five seconds, hold it… and out. That usually seemed to stop the terror, but tonight, if anything, he could feel it getting worse. As if a cold hand had found a way to penetrate his chest and wrap around his heart, trying to still it's frantic beating.

He took a deep breath as he heard something out in the hallway. A pounding of foot steps, trying too hard to be quiet but still failing. He squeezed his eyes shut and continued his breathing exercises. In… out… In… Out-

It was at his door.

He opened his eyes and stared at the wall as he heard the door creak open. A little bit of light poured in through the newly penetrated threshold, a gate meant to protect him and give him privacy now useless against the being that lurked in the doorway. It cast a dark, menacing shadow against the wall, the pure weight of the malformed silhouette alone suffocating Alfred in yet another panic attack.

Clutching the blanket to his chest and taking in deep, ragged breaths, Alfred, feeling more defenseless than ever, turned to the door way and couldn't stifle a scream. Standing there with it's head cocked, watching Alfred with an intrigued, entertained smile was a creature that could only be something a child could muster up from the darkest part of his imagination.

The beast seemed to smile for a moment before lunging at the child. Alfred cried out in terror as he felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and squeeze so hard he could barely breathe. He fought against the figure as hard as he could, swinging his short, childish fists in the air and hoping, praying, that they would make contact with anything. As his fist collided with something soft and he heard a string of curse words fill the air, his eyes snapped open as he saw Iggy with one arm wrapped defensively around Alfred and the other rubbing a bleeding lip.

Relieved and overwhelmed, Alfred buried his face into Iggy's chest, the familiar scent of Earl Grey tea and old books the only respite from the darkness he felt descend and cover him, from the nightmares he knew he would have again when he finally managed to fall back asleep. Although he knew that probably wouldn't happen again for a while.

~ Many Years Later~

A now 19 year old Alfred walked down the hallway, clutching his bag in his clammy hands. He tried to wipe the sweat off on his pants, but for some reason he couldn't get the salty perspiration off of his palms. He breathed in, then out. I can do this… He thought. I need to do this… After all, what kind of hero would I be if I couldn't even do this for Iggy?!

He straightened the uncomfortable tie that wrapped itself around his neck like a noose. He always hated suits, but he guessed that it was okay to wear formal attire when he went out to do something that held this much importance. Straightening his glasses, he opened the door and entered the penthouse suite of his potential future boss to complete the task that would mean the difference between being a hero… and being a failure.

Hey! I know it seems like nothing much happened in this chapter, but trust me: in the art of storytelling, everything has relevance! Besides, we get into all of the juicy stuff next chapter. : )

Please comment and tell me what you think of it so far. Alot of the stuff that is going to happen is from personal experience, so I know what a serious topic this is.

Anyways, enjoy!