A/N: Before we get started...I do not own The Covenant or any of the characters. If I did...Let's just say there would've been a lot more slash going on in that movie. Mmhmm. A warning: Very angsty. May cause tears to leak from your eyes if you have a heart. Word to the Reviewers...
cajun-beauty: I don't think he did either. I'm working on more of the CXC's too. I've got a few songfics in the works about them. -nods-
the power will come: Thanks for the cookies!!! -munches and types-
lanaktty: I'm working on a story where he comes back, so don't worry. It's just slow going 'cause I can never seem to get it right. And don't worry. I have another TyXReid IM convo in the works. I wrote it during chemistry class XD It's just tweaking it so it flows right.
JessicaRose: I try to do the unexpected every now and then . and this next chapter is FULL of drama. -solemn nod-
Hope
WARNING: Very angsty story to follow with a less than perfectly happy ending. And this is going to be more of a two-shot than a one-shot. I am planning a continuation of this. Thank ya much for the readin' of the story!
"Oh my God. What happened? Ty, talk to me!" Reid looked down at the boy in his arms.
Reid had been taking a walk through the woods surrounding the academy and hadn't bothered with going in when it started pouring rain. He heard something similar to sobbing and followed the sound. He eventually found Tyler laying in a heap, clothes dirty and slightly ripped. The sobbing was coming from the brunette. He'd sat down on the wet ground and gathered Tyler up in his lap. Tyler clung to him like his life depended on it and just continued sobbing.
"I'm an idiot. I'm a fool." Reid couldn't understand anything else the boy was saying.
Reid picked Tyler up and carried him back to the dorm room, glad it was dark and glad it was late, glad that everyone else was in their dorm rooms so there would be no questions asked.
Reid placed Tyler on his bed and grabbed a towel from the bathroom, wrapping it around Tyler's shoulders before throwing two blankets around the boy. Reid took a seat on the bed next to where Tyler was sitting and wrapped his arms around him in an attempt to get the soaked boy warm.
"Tyler, tell me what happened." Reid said softly.
"I trusted him. That's what happened." Tyler's blue eyes were blood-shot and red-rimmed.
"What happened Ty? Did he break up with you?" Reid felt himself shifting to his over-protective side.
"He...He..."
"You can tell me. I'm here for you Baby Boy."
Tyler slowly looked up and met Reid's gaze.
"Reid...He..." The last part was inaudible.
"He what, Tyler?" Reid was fearing the worst. He felt his throat close up in apprehension and his breathing became restricted, and he was only listening.
"He raped me Reid." Tyler whispered.
The brunette began sobbing in Reid's chest again and Reid mechanically wrapped his arms around Tyler. It wasn't long before the sobbing boy was physically and emotionally exhausted and had fallen asleep. Reid carefully laid Tyler down and picked up his cell phone.
"Caleb, I need you to come to my dorm room and look after Tyler for a bit. No, he's not okay. I can't tell you. He's the only one that can decide if he wants you to know." Reid hung up the phone and waited for Caleb to knock.
"Reid, what the hell's going on?" Caleb demanded.
"Just sit here with Tyler. If he wakes up before I'm back, just sit with him and let him cry. Tell him I'll be back soon." Reid turned and went to leave. Caleb's voice stopped him when his hand was on the doorknob.
"What happened to him?"
"Only he can tell you."
Reid left the dorm, left the campus completely and walked down to Nicky's. Once indside he took a seat at the bar and waited patiently for Nicky to come to him.
"Nicky. I gotta question to ask you." Reid said, mind still on over-drive.
"What's up?"
"You see the guy Tyler was with earlier tonight?" Reid asked.
"Yeah. That Alex Warner guy that Aaron's always messin' with. Why?"
"Just asking."
Reid stood up and left the bar, trudging back through the rain to his dorm room. When the opened the door to the room he shared with Tyler, Caleb was sitting on his bed, staring at the wall above Tyler.
"He kept saying he was a fool to let it happen. What'd he let happen Reid?" Caleb finally looked at the blond.
"He trusted Alex Warner." Reid said as he shrugged off his water-logged jacket.
"Reid...Did Alex..." Caleb couldn't finish the thought.
"Rape him? Yeah. The motherfucker." Reid said, voice strangely empty and face blank, only his eyes held traces of anger.
"Don't do anything stupid." Caleb pleaded.
"I'm not going to. When Tyler wakes up again I'm going to call the cops and be there for him every step of the way. That's the only thing I can do. I won't do Tyler much good if I'm in jail with Alex for beating him to a pulp." Reid sighed and dropped into the chair by his desk and rubbed his eyes.
"You want me to stay here?" Caleb asked softly.
"No. Go home, take care of your mom. She needs you more than I do and I think I can take care of Tyler." Reid sighed, eyes still closed.
"You need anything, call me." Caleb said as he left.
)()()()()()()()()()()()()()(THE NEXT DAY)()()()()()()()()()()()()(
"Reid, just let it die and left me forget." Tyler said as he covered his head with the blanket. He would've rolled over if it hadn't been for the fact that he didn't like the idea of anyone being behind him anymore.
Reid sat down on the bed and gently pulled the blanket down and looked into Tyler's eyes that were still filled with fear.
"Ty, this isn't just going to go away. You can't just spend the rest of your life pretending this never happened." Reid said softly.
"Why not?" Tyler's eyes were shining with unfallen tears.
"It's not healthy Baby Boy."
Tyler closed his eyes and Reid placed a hand on Tyler's shoulder, causing the younger boy to suddenly stiffen.
"You can't live a lie." Reid whispered.
Later that day, Reid called the cops and reported what Alex had done, he held onto Tyler as he sobbed his story and tried to hold back his disgust as Alex smirked at Tyler before they shoved him into the awaiting car.
"They're going to want you to go through therapy." Reid said later that afternoon.
"I know."
Tyler sat down in a corner with his knees drawn up to his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin on his knees after the police had left. He hadn't moved in the course of four hours. He just stared at the wall across from him, occasionally answering Reid when the blond spoke directly to him and an answer was necessary.
Reid sat down with his back against the wall next to Tyler.
"You know I'm here for you." Reid said softly.
"I know."
"I'm going to be here every step of the way."
"I know."
Reid sighed and tilted his head back against the wall.
"What I don't know is why it had to be me." Tyler whispered.
Reid opened his eyes and looked at Tyler.
"I don't know either. Maybe to make you stronger."
"It's just made me scared and paranoid and I hate it!" Tyler's voice was quivering.
"I know."
"I just want to disappear. I could've stopped him. I could've Used and stopped him." Tears flowed down the brunette's face.
"No, you couldnt've.You trusted him and what he did so suddenly confused you and you couldn't think rationally." Reid said soothingly.
Tyler cried and leaned towards Reid, who could do little more that wrap his arms around the distressed boy and whisper soothing words.
"I'm always going to be here, Baby Boy."
It was later in the week when Reid and Caleb met in the small dorm room while Tyler slept fitfully.
"You don't think he'll get over it." Reid accused.
"I don't think he'll ever fully recover." Caleb said carefully.
"He's going to be fine. I know he is."
"Are you trying to convince me or you?"
"I don't need any convincing. He'll be fine." Reid nodded slightly as he spoke.
"Because you love him?"
"Because that's all he needs." The blond whispered.
"Don't mean to be rude, but you loving him can't save him." Caleb whispered.
"No. But it can help him save himself."
Tyler would've smiled at the conversation if he weren't pretending to sleep. For the first time in a week, he felt like there was hope, the hope that he'd eventually be the same person he was before, that he'd be able to eventually forgive himself for what happened and let people get close. He was glad that Reid had given him hope.