Disclaimer: I own nothing.

6. Nightmare

It was a nightmare. Nothing more and nothing less.

Rex could only cringe away from the gentle touch against his cheek, could only keep his eyes closed against the sight he knew he would have to endure if he dared to open his eyes.

"You're not real." He whispered, not allowing any hope to enter his mind.

A voice, His voice, responded so softly.

"Can I convince you otherwise?"

Rex's very ears burned at the question.

"This isn't happening. I'm not here." Rex argued.

The touch on his cheek trailed lower down his chest until it rested over his heart.

"Here or not. I'm happy." The voice assured.

The touch, the voice, the very scent in the air finally wore Rex down until it was all he could do to open his eyes.

Noah smiled back at him, as bright and golden as Rex remembered him.

Because only in a nightmare would Rex be forced to endure the sight of him again.

"See? Was that so hard?" His love teased.

Rex drank in the sight of him until his eyes literally hurt and he had to look away.

"I miss you." He rasped through his tear tightened throat.

Noah still smiled, even as his eyes grew hazy themselves.

"You're taking care of yourself right? You….Found my letters?"

Rex barely bit back a sob as he recalled finding Noah's one-sided correspondences to him, which had revealed just how not one-sided their feelings for each other had been.

Only a little too late for it to be of any good to either of them.

"Always knew you were a sap." Rex finally muttered around the edge of a sob.

The blonde's smile perked a bit as he playfully hit Rex's shoulder.

"Hey, I'm a sap with good taste at least!" He insisted.

Rex nodded in agreement without his usual bravo and self-confidence.

Those had been stripped from him the same day Noah had been taken.

Even knowing this wasn't real, Rex couldn't help confessing to the blonde.

"It's hard." He admitted. "Without you."

Noah squeezed his hand in a small attempt to give him some comfort.

"I'm here. I know it's not where you want me to be or where I'd like to be. But I'm here."

"In my head." Rex hissed in anger.

"It's just as roomy as I always thought it'd be." The blonde pointed out.

Rex wanted to hit him. Badly.

Almost as much as he wanted to kiss him.

"You aren't real. This isn't healthy."

Noah scoffed.

"Says who? Doctor Holiday? After the thing with her sister while she was an Evo, do you really think she's got any room to talk in regards to what you dream about?"

Rex turned away from his love and curled his fists at his sides.

"Just stop. I'm not….This isn't….."

Noah reached out for him, unclenching his hands and pulling him close.

"You're coping. It's a process. Maybe my being here is just a part of that. I like to think I was always a healthy influence on your life: and that I still can be."

Rex melted against him, both at his touch and at his words, drained of his usual energy even in sleep.

"Noah. Please." He begged, though not sure what he was even asking for.

But Noah knew. He always knew.

He cupped his Evo's face between his grasp and pressed their foreheads together.

"I don't have to be a nightmare Rex." He breathed between them before leaning forward to join their lips.

Before they touched for the first time ever, for the first kiss that they ever shared in life or a dream, Rex awoke to his own sobbing gasp in the night.

His nightmare ending the same as it did every evening.

Within the breath of a kiss that was never shared and never would be.

I apologize for this sadness and the lateness of this chapter. Please read and review!

Yours truly,

Lacy Fairgold