It was all because of a dream.
Tell me that you'll wait for me.
One dream.
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Tyler grunted a little as he tried to get comfortable in his seat. He hated flying. It was so cramped. Even as...whatever he was, jetlag was still a bitch.
His mind raced at a slow level. Sure, he was considered impulsive. Always had been. But this took it into a whole new level. It would make a great book, he reasoned.
He sent a hand through his hair, trying to fathom everything that the last 72 hours had encompassed. Were he a lesser man, he'd surely be well on his way to a psychotic break. That whole not being totally human thing did have its subtle advantages.
But, for the life of him, he didn't know how a dream that bordered on the realm of very lucid hallucination could make such an impact. Or help him so much.
It had been such a pretty setting, this dream. Like a Dalhart Windberg painting. Trees, a cool, flowing creek, a crescent moon in the sky...
Tyler followed the creek down the hill, his boots crunching against the ground. This place certainly looked like Virginia. Or maybe Tennessee. Either way, it's better than that prick Klaus being in his dreams.
He scanned the forest, noting how calm it was. Calm is good, Tyler told himself. Everything was such a pleasant Piney Green.
Well, except that ugly as all get out black tree over there. Wow. That was just hideous. Ugh.
"It doesn't fit in, does it?" A voice behind him asked. His mouth perked into a smile as he turned around.
"Jules," Tyler said, grinning.
"Hey, Handsome," She smiled, ruffling his hair. "Long time no see."
"I've been...busy," Tyler shrugged, jokingly trying to avoid her hand. "And you've been, uhm-"
"Dead," Jules shrugged. "Yes, it sucks, but I had a nice run. I get to hang around Mason more, though."
"Gross. Good for you, but gross," Tyler smirked, turning his attention back to the tree. "That is an ugly-ass tree."
"Yep. Some things just don't belong in some places." She answered.
"That was deep," He said back. "You mind not speaking like a college professor?"
"Like you'll ever go to college," Jules teased.
"Hey, I'm respectable," Tyler smirked. "But what is with this tree."
"Well, let's say this whole forest is your's," Jules nodded. "And that tree is something in your life that just doesn't fit in."
Tyler looked from the tree to Jules. He suddenly was quite sure what she was talking about. "Oh."
"There we go," She laughed, moving closer to him. "You're not just a wolf, you're a Lockwood. That makes you your very own One Man Wolfpack."
"And?" He asked.
"It means you're too much of your own man to let some douchey British vampire boss you around," Jules nodded. "Come on, Tyler. He's British. That's lame."
"It is. I hate it, I sort of hate him." Tyler grumbled.
"Why's that?"
"Because all he does is hurt people. He killed you, he nearly got Jeremy killed," Tyler grunted out softly. "That's just...wrong."
"The little Gilbert kid?" Jules asked, smirking.
"What about him?" Tyler asked defensively.
"Aw, cute," Jules laughed. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."
Tyler blushed into a laugh and looked away. "Yeah, uh, we were talking about that tree."
"Yeah," She nodded. "Some things, no matter what they say or how they act, just don't belong." Jules said, gesturing to the hideous, disease ridden tree.
"So, what do you do?" Tyler asked.
"You realize that you're too strong a person to need to be bossed around by something so ugly." She soothed, giving him a pat on the rear. "Now come on, I need your manly, Lockwood muscles." Jules teased as she gripped onto the tree. Tyler nodded and grabbed at it. "On Three...One...two...Thr-"
And that had been when Tyler had woken up. Completely free of any hold Klaus had on him. The first thing he had done was buy a plane ticket to Denver. The Hell if he was going to lose one of the few parts of his life that was great.
As he had washed his face at the sink that morning, steam had fogged up the mirror. Tyler remebered smiling as he traced a finger on the glass.
Thank you, Jules.