(A/N) Hey guys! Back with a suprise bonus chapter for all of you being so good sports. This one is the shortest chapter in the story, but it's still impactful.

Welcome Back to Paw Patrol: The Ballad of Dally!

Chapter 27: It's Your Nightmare

A sudden scream jolted Skye from her peaceful slumber. Skye wondered who it was for two seconds. After awareness set in, she knew exactly who it was. The dog that she loved, had yet another nightmare.

At this point, Skye should've been used to it. But no matter how many times it happens, Skye won't ever get used to it. Chase was her shield, her protector, but how can he protect her, when he can't even protect himself from sad dreams.

It was a scary feeling she continues to have as the months roll on, and it would eat at her more than it would eat at Chase. Hearing her handsome shepherd screaming in the middle of the night, so scared to go back to sleep, would grate on her, and she would almost be brought to tears.

Skye wished it would stop. She wished Chase could make it through one night without being terrorized by the dreams that came to him. But after a while, that became fantasy. Every night Skye would fear for Chase's mentality, and every night, Chase would insist that he would be okay, which only made Skye more worried for him and soon enough, Chase would wake up with a horrifying scream, and then it would follow with either Skye running over to his puphouse to soothe him back to sleep, or Chase himself running over to her's, depending on how bad his nightmare was. It was a scary and unhealthy routine that needed to stop sooner or later, or Chase would become too terrified to ever sleep again, that is, if he's not terrified now.

Skye laid, for a bit in her thoughts, waiting to see if Chase would run over to her like he did countless times. But he never knocked, telling Skye that it was a less stressful nightmare, that Chase could easily go back to sleep.

Skye however, wasn't going to be fully satisfied with that. She still felt the need to get up, and go over to his pup house. When she got to his door, her heart rate dropped due to her hearing Chase's sobs through the door. It must've been pretty bad after all.

She knocked on the door. "Chase. I heard you honey. You wanna talk about it? Please?"

Chase's door immediately opened to show him lying in the center of the house, with his head glued to the floor, and the fur on his face dampened in tears. Skye went next to him and laid down in the only spot she could. Due to her small stature, Skye could easily inch herself comfortably next to him. Her body was still touching him no matter how hard she tried, but that wasn't really a bad thing in her opinion.

She licked Chase's ear, cheek , and snout to get him to stop sobbing a little, so he could answer her. "Who was it this time baby? Marshall, or you dad?"

A very long pause went on before Chase was able to give her an answer. With his tone so low, Skye wouldn't have heard it, if she wasn't lying so close to him. "...Both…"

Skye was surprised at this. This one was new. Usually Chase would have a nightmare with only one of the two. Chase's father dying, and Marshall screaming as he's being burned alive. The latter being the worst one. Did he see both of them happen at the same time?

"What happened?" Skye asked.

Chase buried his snout in Skye's neck as he recalled his nightmare, surprisingly very calm. "I was at Marshall's spot and both of them were standing in front of me. Dad had his bullet wounds and Marshall...was burned to a crisp, almost unrecognizable." Chase whimpered as Skye continued to lick comfortably. It was already off to a horrible start with Marshall and Tracer standing there with their fatal wounds, but Skye couldn't have anticipated how bad it would get.

"Th-they were just standing there...yelling….at me." Chase whined.

"Yelling at you?" Skye gasped in surprise. "What for? I know you've been having dreams of Marshall blaming you for his death. But what was your father yelling at you for?"

Chase cringed at the question. Almost shuttering up to not continue. But he had no resistance thanks to Skye being there. "For one, Marshall wasn't yelling at me for leaving him to burn….well….scratch that, he was..but that wasn't the true reason. They both had the same reason why. They told me that...I failed them and betrayed their faith in me."

Skye was appalled. This was way worse than any other nightmare Chase has had. Even though there were others that were more horrifying, nothing could compare to one of your parents AND your best friend, downing you and making you feel like trash.

"Th..Th-They wanted to disown me Skye." Chase said through tears. "Dad was ashamed of me being his son for leaving Marshall, and Marshall said that he never wants to talk to me again! That I had tarnished his trust in me, and will never consider me his brother again. I don't blame them….it's all true…...I'm a failure! Not only did I let my best friend die, but I can't even fulfill the…"

Chase stopped dead, as he realized what he was saying. Skye felt as if she was thrusted out of a crucial point in a movie. She wanted nothing more than to hear the end of that sentence.

Then...it came to her. Chase was going to say that he couldn't fulfill the promise." Skye was instantly reminded of something that had puzzled and concerned Skye for months. This was not the first time Chase let it slip about the promise he made. Skye assumed it was a promise he made to Marshall. Although now, Skye didn't need Chase to reveal it. She knew now what that promise was. She didn't want to be blatant or hard on him, but it was the only way they could get much farther with this.

"Chase. Don't hide it. I know about the promise you made to Marshall." Skye confidently said. "That's what they were yelling at you about. Were they?"

Chase snapped his head towards her. In disbelief. "Y-You know?"

"Of course I do Chase. It's obvious." Skye stated. "After your speech at Marshall's funeral, the many coincidences of you always being there for us when we needed someone, and you letting it slip from time to time. I know that you promised Marshall that you would make sure everyone will be okay after Marshall's death, right?"

Chase was silent as a rock. He stared into Skye's eyes. Skye tried not to look like she was a little angry at him for keeping this from her, but her confusion for why bothered her. She couldn't help but show at least some annoyance.

Chase reset his head, and buried his snout in his paws. "...yeah Skye. You got me. I promised Marshall I would make sure his fear wouldn't come true."

Skye formed a satisfying smile. Finally, the mystery that had been egging on her for months was solved. "Chase, there's nothing wrong with a promise like that." Her smile then fades. "But why in the world did you not tell me or anyone for that matter? Why did you keep it a secret?"

The cockapoo listened closely, as Chase revealed everyone of his thoughts that he had for months. "I couldn't tell Skye. I had to do it myself." Chase finally answered, ashamed. "It would've never been fulfilled."

"What makes you think that Chase?" Skye asked back, very confused.

"Because…" Chase tightened up, frustrated at Skye's soft interrogation. "It's complicated Skye."

Skye closed her eyes and sighed deeply in annoyance. "It's not complicated, Chase. You're making it complicated. Now whatever reason you have, is not healthy for you. It's a big promise to make to Marshall, and you doing it all by yourself is causing you so much stress. There's no wonder you're having nightmares all the time. You're trying to do more than you can, and it's stressing you out to no end, handsome. You need someone to help you."

Chase was silent for a bit before he spoke. "To tell you the truth angel. I think I forgot the reason, or whether I had a reason at all. I'm sure it was something stupid and dumb. I'm so sorry Skye."

Skye popped a knowing smirk at the shepherd. "I think I know Chase. If I didn't know you any better, I'd say that your pride is what kept you. When you made that promise to Marshall, you felt that you needed to do it yourself. To prove not just Marshall, but to you that Marshall can count on you and you alone. Even if Marshall didn't want you to act alone, you felt that once you promised him, you needed to fulfill the promise all by yourself."

Skye hoped to hear Chase agree with her and give her a heartwarming smile for her insights, but Chase just closed his eyes and sighed. "You may be right Skye, but whatever it is, it doesn't matter now. I already failed him. I don't know how, but I did, and not only is Marshall condemning me, but now my father is as well. I'm a failure who makes promises he can't keep. I'm not a good pup Skye, I screw things up and fail the time. I didn't deserve to have a friend like Marshall. All I've done is let them down!"

Chase dropped his head and sobbed in his sorrows the nightmare had made it clear that Chase was doing all that he could to destroy himself.

Despite seeing her boyfriend crying and tearing his character to pieces, Skye kept her smirk on for one glaring factor in his big sorrows. "Chase. That is not true, and you know it."

"How can it not be? Marshall and Dad said so themselves, that I'm a failure!" Chase sobbed back.

Skye put a paw on Chase's. Patting it on each word she said. "Because Chase, It's not them saying that to you."

Chase opened his eyes and raised his head slightly. Listening to everything Skye was saying.

"I've never met your father, so I can't speak for him, but I highly doubt that Marshall of all dogs would ever tear you down and make you feel incompetient. Yeah he got mad at you sometimes, but that pup never lost faith in you."

"B-But it was them, Skye." Chase insisted. "I heard them say it myself. And I know they meant it."

"No it wasn't." Skye rebounded. "It was just a nightmare saying that. A nightmare that your anxiety made up and used your father and Marshall to drive home it's message to you. It wanted you to feel like garbage, so it projected them to tell you all that stuff and before you say that it doesn't matter because it's true, don't. That is what your anxiety wants you to think."

Skye kept firm as she continued to preach Chase with confidence. "Anxiety is the world's biggest liar Chase. It wants us to feel scared and unconfident, so it lies to us whenever it feels that it has a chance to. To make us feel more bad about ourselves, and that's exactly what it's doing to you."

Chase looked appalled at Skye's knowledge of this. "Skye, how are you so sure about this?"

Skye's smirk faded at Chase's question, as her mind retreaded the battles she's had with her anxiety. "Well...I'm not a therapist by any means, so I can't tell you why it does all this. I just know very well how anxiety can make your insecurities worse and worse. I'm just making sure you don't fall in the same trap...that I fell into."

Chase gave a loving smile to her as he nuzzled her. "I understand what you're saying hon. But my anxiety wouldn't be so strong, if I wasn't screwing up somewhere. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I know you're okay, and Ryder doesn't seem to be compromised. I know that's assuming a lot, but it feels like I've already failed. That...no matter what I do, I won't succeed. I don't want to give up Skye, but I can't figure out what's wrong. Everyone is fine for all I know, but I can't help but feel like I'm ignoring someone."

Skye frowned at Chase, as her worries for him grew. "You are ignoring someone Chase, and it's the most important one of all."

Chase looked at Skye with curiosity. "Who is it Skye?"

Skye's heart took a shot at Chase's oblivious manner. "It's you Chase."

"Me?"

"Yes you. You're going around talking to everyone and being a helping paw to everyone else that you're forgetting about yourself. Since you've been doing this by yourself, there's no one making sure you are okay as well."

Skye could see she was getting through to him. He had a dumbfounded look on his face, which Skye took this opportunity to bring it all home.

"You need help Chase. Bad. You may not be shutting yourself up and being anti-social, but you are still in danger of falling just as hard as before. You're having nightmares almost every night about Marshall and your father, to the point where you're scared to even go to sleep. It's affecting you so much that you are starting to believe what all it's telling you. Remember your nightmares about us being killed on our jobs, and how you felt paranoid because of it? Well the same thing is going to happen if you don't let me help you."

"But Skye? What can you do?" Chase asked "You've already done so much, Angel. I've told you about every nightmare and you've done all you can to reassure me that I'm not responsible for Marshall's death, or that there was nothing I could do to save my dad. But no matter how much I believe that, they still happen. I don't know if there is anything you or even Ryder can do to stop them."

Skye put a paw on Chase's and rubbed it affectionately. "I know one way that can help. You may not want to, but it may help make sure you don't get any nightmares, or at the least, fight them back."

Chase looked curiously at Skye. "What is it Skye?"

Skye sighed as she proposed her idea, somewhat knowing that she wouldn't go anywhere. But, she wanted to try anyway. "I think...you need someone to sleep with….and that someone...is me."

Chase looked flabbergasted at Skye, as if she asked for them to mate. "Sk-Skye….D-Don't get me wrong…..I would love to sleep with you, but….. I don't think there's no way Ryder will approve that…..We-We could get in big trouble."

"I know Chase, I know." Skye added, accepting Chase's reasons. "But it's for your own good. It's plainly obvious that you just can't sleep by yourself, because every night, you keep thinking about Marshall, the promise you made, and your father's death. That's why you're having nightmares in the first place, and you will continue to have them unless your mind is focused on something else...like me. If we start sleeping together, I'm sure that with me right beside you, you will forget everything about your anxiety, and your insecurities. It may not be a total solution, but it would help a lot. I'm sure of it."

At pause happened after Skye said what she thought would help Chase. Skye knew it was going to be a hard sell to Chase to defy Ryder, but she had to try for Chase's sake….and her's.

Chase looked at his girl with tantalizing eyes. She knew Chase felt the same, and wouldn't hesitate to go with it, but going against Ryder was not easy for him, especially if Ryder was watching them like he was now.

"Skye, I would want nothing more than that. But Ryder may not feel very comforting about it. How are we going to get him to agree with us?"

While Chase's worries were justified and were a big risk for them, Skye was confident enough that it would not only work, but that she could change Ryder's mind. "I'll talk to Ryder, Chase. I'm sure if I promise him that nothing will get out of hand, and tell him why I feel it could help you tremendously, I'm sure he'll understand."

Chase groaned in response. "That'll be like convincing Mayor Humdinger to leave Adventure Bay alone."

"Maybe. But I'm willing to try. For you." Skye serenaded, before she kissed Chase. "I don't want you to suffer anymore." Skye started to sob a little. "Wh-When I hear you scream every night, It hurts me. I have to try, or you will never get better. I will talk to Ryder tomorrow, and even if he doesn't approve, I'll find another way."

She kissed him again, but her lips stayed longer, resulting in Chase kissing her back. Their kiss lasted for a good few minutes before Chase retracted.

"What would I ever do without my angel." He said before he went back in.

"I don't ever want to think about that handsome." Skye responded as she kissed him some more.

Chase then stopped reluctantly with a whimper. "We don't have the approval right now Skye. So you need to get back to your puphouse before we fall asleep on each other."

Skye whimpered in return. "I guess so."

She got up and walked out of Chase's puphouse. Before she got far, she turned to her darling shepherd. "Are you going to be okay tonight?"

Chase looked at her with a reassuring smile. "Yeah hon. Thanks to you, I think I can make it."

Skye wanted to smile, but her worries for him prevented that. Though...she had faith in him. "If you say so baby…..I love you."

"I love you too Skye. Now go back to your house Skye and get some sleep." Chase repeated with a lovesick smile.

Skye turned away and went back to her puphouse to lay down. Her worries for Chase kept her from falling asleep for a bit, before she went off dreamland.

She was so relieved that the next time she woke, the sun was up.

(A/N): What a sweet moment for Chase and Skye. But will Skye be able to convince Ryder to allow them to sleep together? If not, what would Skye do to help Chase? Find out next week when Chapter 28: Going Down a Rocky Road is uploaded next Friday!

Question of The Chapter: What do you think Ryder will say? Would he agree with Skye?

let me know in your review!

Please review and tell me your favorite parts and if you have any questions about the story or anything else, just put it in your review or pm me and l'll get back with you as soon as I can.

This Is Sean Thames of Dragonsfire Entertainment signing off!