"Run, Shawn!"

They were being chased... unseen and deadly, the pursuers had already taken out River and were after them, now. After Shawn, Ian was sure, but more than willing to take down anyone who got in their way. And he was determined to get Shawn and himself out of the way – only they couldn't escape, because they couldn't see who was chasing them. All they could do was run...

In his sleep Ian whimpered softly, knowing how the nightmare was going to end, since it ended the same way every time he had it. Almost every night the invisible assassins came after him and his roommates, and every time Jack and Jaffer didn't make it to them in time and the nightmare would end in a flash of bright light and a stunning pain that Ian remembered quite clearly from the actual attack that night, and since he remembered it, his subconscious always threw it into the nightmare, forcing him to relive it over and over, until he'd wake up gasping, eyes wide as he looked around for those killers – even though he knew – absofuckinglutely knew – they were dead and gone.

He tore himself out of the nightmare by sheer will alone, sitting up with a strangled cry and looking around the unfamiliar room, his breath coming in panting gasps and his entire body soaked with sweat.

Nightmares were something Ian had never had to deal with before. The cadet had gone through his entire life without fearing anything so much that he'd relive it in his dreams. Not bullies, not the dark – hell, he never even feared monsters under his bed or in his closets when he'd been tiny. He'd always stood up to the things that tried to frighten him, and always had beaten them back or simply bluffed them down until they'd go away. It was different, now, though.

How did you stand up to a foe you couldn't see? How could you bluff someone when you could read their expressions to see how they were reacting? Something that shot first and didn't care about asking questions later... The answer was that you couldn't, and that was why Ian had nightmares. He couldn't face a fear he couldn't see, and he couldn't figure out a way to fight it down. His agile mind – which was usually such an asset to him – had absolutely no trouble imagining all the terrible ways these assassins might have killed him and Shawn, and at night, he'd find himself living through all of them eventually.

Still shaking with the aftermath of the nightmare, Ian stumbled out of his bed and into the hall, hoping he hadn't cried out in his sleep and disturbed everyone else in the house. God, that was all he needed; for word to get out that he couldn't get through the night without having nightmares. He'd be laughed right out of the academy, he was sure. Nightmares were for kids – not adults.

Apparently, though, he hadn't woken anyone. The house was still and dark, and after a moment of standing in the empty hall waiting to see if anyone roused, Ian headed for the kitchen. He could definitely use something to drink. A glass of cold water did nothing to stop his trembling – although it eased the dryness of his mouth left in the wake of that cold terror – and Ian stood in the dark kitchen for a long time, leaning against the sink and looking out the dark window at the backyard – eerily illuminated by a distant streetlight shining off the snow that was still falling.

Something nudged his thigh, and Ian barely managed to bite back a shriek of terror before he realized that Jaffer had snuck up on him and was standing beside him – probably hoping for a midnight snack.

"You just about gave me a heart attack," he told the lab, shakily, reaching down and rubbing his head softly. He went over to the drawer that Jack had pointed out to him earlier, and pulled out a bag of dog treats, handing Jaffer a handful of them. The lab ate them, and Ian tried to control his heartbeat once more as he watched. Jaffer finished what he had and turned his nose up when Ian offered him a few more – apparently the big lab wasn't in the mood for a heavy snack.

"Do you need out?" he whispered, heading for the sliding glass door. Jaffer didn't follow him, though, and Ian didn't press. He didn't want to open the door anyways; he was already freezing, even though the house wasn't all that chilly. He went over to the couch, gathering up the blanket he'd discarded earlier that evening, and wrapped it around himself as he sat down on the sofa. Jaffer hopped up beside him, cuddling close – which surprised Ian, although he appreciated it. He definitely didn't mind a little cuddling just then.

He rested his head on Jaffer's, his hands running absently along the soft fur while Jaffer's warm body finally managed to warm Ian as well. Between the dog and the blanket, he eventually managed to shake off the chill that had been with him since he woke – although it took him a lot longer to relax. He sighed, and closed his eyes, wishing for something, but not even sure what.

"Fucking baby..." he whispered, mockingly, to himself.

Jaffer whined softly, snuffling his cheek, and Ian reacted to that by hugging the lab even closer, glad for the company. He eventually fell asleep that way, there on the couch with the lab sprawled across him, keeping him warm – and more importantly, keeping him safe.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Jack..."

"Hmmm?"

"Wake up."

He opened his eyes, obediently, and looked into Sam's blue ones. The sun was just starting to come through the window, so he knew that it was morning, but he also knew it was early. Too early to be awake?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. You need to come see this, though."

He reached up and ran his hand along her side – from the looks of how she was dressed and how rumpled she looked, she'd only just woken up herself.

"See what?"

"Come look."

She leaned over and kissed him, then stood up, watching him.

Mumbling to himself, Jack got out of bed and followed Sam to the bedroom door, wearing just his sweats. They walked down the hall and into the living room, and Sam pointed to the couch – where Ian was still sleeping, cuddled up with his arms wrapped around Jaffer, who was also asleep.

"Huh... have they been like that all night?"

She shook her head.

"I sent him to bed about eleven. Think you can carry him back to his room?"

"I think he'd be mortified if he found out I did," Jack told her, smiling. "Just let him sleep there – if he wakes up still tired he can go back to bed."

She nodded, and the two of them headed into the kitchen. They needed some coffee. And maybe some breakfast.