It wasn't a dream. It was a real nightmare. It was an actual torture…session with Chase. He wasn't lying in the dream…it was real.

It wasn't a dream.

Chase was still alive then. That was the only way he'd been able to actually hurt him. But if Chase was alive, that meant he was coming back.

Coming back for revenge and him. Revenge on the Sons of Ipswich for trying to kill him and he was coming for Tyler because the brunette had dumped the psycho.

The brunette was avoiding the eyes of the Sons and Evelyn, as Reid tried to heal his wounds, quickly finding out that for some reason he couldn't. Reid kept looking at Caleb, for some explanation, seeing the oldest not even looking at the blonde, only at Tyler.

"How is that possible?" Reid finally asked, as they cleaned Tyler's cuts and bandaged them.

"I don't know." Caleb said, "Ty, why don't you rest a little?"

But Tyler didn't want to go back to sleep. He was scared to. Caleb knew that he wouldn't want to go to sleep after waking up to find his arms a bloody mess.

Chase could hurt him in his dreams. When he was asleep he was completely vulnerable to the older boy. Chase could do anything in those dreams and they would happen to him in real life. Tyler had to suppress a shudder at that thought. It was frightening.

He couldn't wake up. He couldn't defend himself. There was no way to fight Chase in the realm of sleeping. The nightmares would get worse. Tyler knew they would; there was no way they wouldn't.

Chase was pissed off at him. Mad at Tyler for dumping him, but the brunette was within his rights. His boyfriend had been a psychopath wanting to kill Caleb. And Caleb was his older brother, his friend, his boyfriend…

Caleb.

The brunette looked at Caleb, who was staring at the younger boy in worry. Tyler averted his gaze, not wanting to look at his boyfriend.

"What happened Tyler?" Reid asked.

Tyler shrugged his shoulders at them. He couldn't tell them. They wouldn't believe him, and if they did it would still be bad.

Caleb would get scared.

Reid was ascending soon, in less than a week's time. The blonde would want to go kill the boy now, when he was too weak to fight the older boy.

Pogue was still recovering from the injuries Chase had left him with. He wouldn't want to go on a rampage with Reid and Caleb if it involved Chase…or would he?

And he, Tyler, was getting used to dating Caleb. The oldest of the brothers; the one who looked after all of them.

"Don't give me this shit Tyler, we need to know what happened!" Caleb snapped.

What had happened? Chase had never attacked him in his dreams before. He usually just taunted him and talked to him. He never actually tried to hurt him. What had made this night so special?

He was too weak to do it before. This time Tyler did shiver.

"Tyler, please Baby Boy, we wanna help." Reid begged.

Tyler at some point had begged Chase to stop. He didn't like pain and that's all Chase had delivered in the dream. Chase knew that Tyler didn't do well with pain. That he couldn't handle it being done to him or to other people.

Tyler's mind felt broken and chopped. Like instead of cutting Tyler's arms, he cut the boys mind. He might as well have. This was all too confusing.

"Tyler!"

The brunette hadn't realized he had started crying again.

"I-It was Chase…he was in my dream…I thought it was just that…a dream…but I guess not….I'm sorry for ignoring you guys."

No he wasn't. He hated when the boys worried about him. They always overreacted over things and he didn't want that to happen this time, but he knew they needed to know.

"A-Are you sure?" Caleb asked in shock.

"Yeah…same egotistical grin and psychopathic smirk."

Reid rubbed the brunette's back as Evelyn finished up his arms.

Caleb's mom left the room after that, knowing the boys needed to talk.

"Shit…what'd he say?" Pogue asked.

Tyler shook his head, looking back down.

"He's coming back…for revenge…for me."

"Why you?" Reid asked.

"Because I used to date him." Tyler said, "When I found out he was one of us and trying to hurt Caleb….I broke up with him. He didn't like that at all."

Reid looked at him incredulously.

"But he reeks of asshole." Reid said, "Assholes are like…naughty in your book or something…besides me that is."

Tyler snorted chancing a look at Caleb who still looked shocked.

"When you're the baby of the Sons of Ipswich, people know that you have to have balls to talk to me. Because the other three will jump on you for trying to de-purify the youngest or some bullshit like that." Tyler said, "You guys were paranoid as hell."

Reid snickered before seeing Caleb look at Tyler seriously.

"Did he say when?"

Tyler shook his head, seeing Caleb groan.

"This is not good guys."

"Really? I thought we could have a welcome back and feel free to kill us party." Reid said, rolling his eyes.

"If he's coming back for revenge, then he's going to hit Tyler, and hit him hard." Caleb said, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.

He pulled Tyler into his lap, the brunette melting in the embrace. Curling into Caleb as the boy rested his chin on Tyler's shoulder.

"What are we going to do Cay?" Pogue asked.

"We'll warn Sarah and Kate about it. We have the upper hand of Chase not knowing what's happened the last nine months." Caleb said.

"If he comes, we've got to tone down the PDA by a lot." Tyler said, hearing Caleb sigh.

"Also means we'll have to take more insults from Aaron and his boys."

"Leave Aaron to me." Reid said, grinning, "If I kick his ass at pool, he won't say a damn word."

Caleb nodded his head, sliding his eyes shut.

"I don't want to go to sleep yet." Tyler said softly.

Caleb nodded his head again.

"What you want to do then Baby Boy?"

Tyler shrugged as he leaned closer into Caleb.

"I'm really scared you guys." Tyler said honestly.

Pogue sat on the bed next to the two, rubbing Tyler's leg.

"We won't let him hurt you if we can stop it Ty." Pogue promised.

They knew not to promise each other they wouldn't get hurt. Chase was stronger than any of them. He was equal to Caleb in power, but even then it was a toss up.

"I won't let him hurt you if I can help it Tyler." Caleb said seriously.

The brunette nodded his head, letting Caleb lay them back down.

"You don't have to sleep, just try to find that nice place." Caleb said, "Like when you meditate, you know, center yourself."

Tyler felt someone Use as a blanket was put over him and Caleb. It was cool against his heated skin as he snuggled into Caleb.

The older boy wrapped an arm around Tyler, pulling him closer.

"I love you Tyler, and I promise I'll protect you to the best of my ability." Caleb promised.

"Yeah Ty, and I'll protect you too." Reid said, pushing hair behind the boy's ear.

"Me too Tyler." Pogue said.

The brunette grinned at his friends, feeling Caleb's hand rub his back. He felt so tired. Like he could fall asleep right now and not wake up for weeks.

"Go to sleep Tyler. We'll be here when you wake up. We're not going anywhere." Reid said.

"We'll wake you up if the dreams get too much." Pogue added.

"And we'll protect you from the outside world." Caleb said in his ear.

Tyler felt blessed to have such good friends. But considering the Covenant and one being his boyfriend, he guessed it didn't really matter. They were brothers in arms.

They would still protect him from Chase.

And even if they couldn't, they'd save him from Chase.

Tyler just wanted to know when the boy was coming. He didn't like waiting, and he grew impatient when something inevitable wanted to happen, and prolonged coming. It was torturous to wait on it.

That was the last thing Tyler thought before he fell asleep.