It had happened again. Jeremy had woken up wild-eyed and breathless, still halfway locked in a stunning dream. He wouldn't let it leave him; he tried to grasp the fragments of the dream as he awoke fully and found that it was still there, as brilliant as it had been just moments before.

He sat up, arms resting on his knees, reflecting in relieved amazement. No, parts of that dream hadn't been a dream at all.

...

It was the first time Tyler could remember dreading a weekend. He days to go before he would see Jeremy. Saturday stretched out before him, filled with too many empty hours. He attempted to outline the day in his head, to section it into reasonable pieces of activity, making the wait until Monday more bearable.

First, he decided, he would workout, perhaps some strength training and then some running...that could possibly get him to 11 or 12 o'clock. He could shower and dress and eat. Then he would begin work on his English paper. This would bore him quickly, he acknowledged. Then what? Watch a movie? Actually finish the paper? This would leave nothing to occupy him Sunday.

Tyler let out a frustrated shout and fell back into bed. He might as well not get up at all since he didn't like the way his planned day would go. No doubt, this was all Jeremy's fault. When had Tyler ever had trouble enjoying himself, especially on a weekend? If only things had gone smoothly. Why did Jeremy have to be so confusing? Why couldn't they have been on the same page?

For a beautiful moment, Tyler had thought that they were. He laid back, closing his eyes, remembering that moment in the hallway when Jeremy's eyes had finally met his.

He had seen everything he hoped for and didn't expect.

Jeremy's eyes had been so hesitant, shining with a suppressed and urgent desire, that Tyler recognized in himself. It had been startling, but comforting. Then, Jeremy's pounding heart and the scent of deepening musk had confirmed it. Tyler had barely been able to control his own urges right then, to bring him closer, to touch him, to taste him. It had been the second time he'd had to stop himself and it wasn't getting easier.

But he'd stopped. Jeremy wasn't ready. He had been content then in the implicit, mutual understanding. Holding his hand had been enough.

Then, Jeremy had shaken him off, tried to distance them and Tyler had been rudely removed from that place of contentment. He'd struggled to find reassurance, finding ways to touch him, wishing he'd respond, even a little, but he hadn't.

He remembered being shocked that Jeremy had left the table without him and Tyler had bolted after him, making no excuses for it.

And had that worked? No, I just scared him off. It'll be even harder to run him down Monday, Tyler thought.

Faced with nothing but time and dim prospects, Tyler rebelled. Who said he had to wait until Monday anyway?

...

By the time Jeremy straggled down the steps to the kitchen, Alaric was already up, attempting to make pancakes. Elena was sitting pretty, texting away. For one fraught second, Jeremy thought he saw Tyler sitting across the table from Elena, sipping orange juice. But then he blinked, and there was only a glass. He wasn't sure whether or not he was relieved that the image had only been a lingering remnant of his dream, a dream of him and Tyler, spending Saturday together.

Alaric called out to him, bringing him back to the present.

"Jeremy, you're just in time to flip the pancakes," Alaric said, backing away from the stove, "why don't I leave you to it?"

"So not fair. I just woke up and you expect me to have the coordination for that?"

"Hey, I spent last weekend trying to get all the batter out from behind the stove. I have plans this weekend, so I can't risk it," Alaric said, patting Jeremy on the back in mock support.

"Why do you even pretend you can make pancakes? I would be just as happy with a bowl of cereal."

"Not good for you Jer. You just like the kind with the colored sugar powder," Elena piped up.

Jeremy appreciated Alaric and understood that he was trying to bring them together in whatever small ways that he could, but really, he just knew this was going to be a mess.

He wasn't even going to try for an airborne flip. He reached for a spatula and suddenly saw Tyler again, leaning against the counter with a taunting smile.

The spatula clattered to the floor.

"Thank goodness. It was just the spatula, right?" Elena asked. "You know what Jer, just let me do it, you're obviously not awake yet," Elena continued lightly pushing Jeremy aside. He looked back at the counter and Tyler was gone. He hadn't ever been there.

I really need to wake up, Jeremy thought. He ambled over to the table and sat down with Alaric, who was grading students' essays.

"Those are your important plans?" Jeremy asked, nodding towards the stack of papers.

"Partly. Damon and I also were going out to - "

"Volia!" Elena interjected, a tad too enthusiastically. "Here are your pancakes, perfectly flipped, perfectly round. There's no beating these. Just not possible," Elena said, setting down their plates. They were perfect, better than anything he or Alaric had previously managed, but that wasn't enough to distract Jeremy from the fact that Elena had interrupted Alaric just as he mentioned Damon. She wasn't done 'protecting' him, it seemed.

Jeremy was too hungry to be upset at her, so he dug in. He was almost done when he felt a slight pressure on his foot. He frowned as it moved up to his calf and down again. There had been no one sitting across from him. He looked up and saw Tyler with the same orange juice and now his own set of pancakes, looking innocent, as always.

Jeremy briefly glanced at Alaric to see if he noticed, but by the time he glanced back, Tyler was gone.

Notes

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Don't worry if this seems a little confusing. The next chapter should clear everything up.