Chapter 24

Soft, nimble fingers gently caressed the back of his neck and Reid moaned softly. His eyes lazily fluttered open a moment later and he was met with the sight of Tyler's baby-blues looking up at him.

"Morning." The younger boy smiled as he slid closer and curled himself around Reid's arm.

Reid blinked, feeling confused until memories of the previous night came back to him and he felt himself smile. He finally kissed Tyler and what was better; the younger boy kissed him back, sending the two of them into a long make-out session that lasted for most of the night. Their touches soon went from shy and gentle to rough and passionate while their kisses became more demanding until both boys eventually fell asleep together on Reid's bed in a tangled heap of limbs.

"Mornin'." He sleepily mumbled and leaned forwards to plant a kiss on Tyler's forehead.

The younger boy smiled up at him and Reid felt his heart give a small flutter inside of his chest. Tyler always seamed to have that effect on him.

"You sleep okay?"

"Next to you, who wouldn't?" Reid grinned as gazed downwards into Tyler's baby-blues once again.

Tyler gave him an annoyed look but leaned upwards towards Reid's face and brought their lips together for a kiss. The blonde groaned softly and pulled Tyler closer, disparity wanting to feel the other boy's warmth. Tyler complied, and soon the two boys eventually found themselves resuming their previous activities until Tyler suddenly gasped and forcibly pushed Reid away.

"What?"

Tyler shot up and backed against the headboard, his eyes widening. Reid followed his gaze and also felt himself grow stiff. On the fair side of their room stood a figure covered in shadows, but from what little light resided in the room Reid could make out slimy pale skin and murky clothing; a Darkling.

Tyler whimpered next to him and suddenly feeling protective, Reid moved in front of the younger boy and turned his eyes black. If that damn thing was here to cause them harm it was in for one hell of a fight. However, just as Reid drew his shoulders upright, the darkling raised its arm, the long, slimy fingers pointing at the two of them and just as quickly as it came, the darkling wavered and disappeared.

Reid's eyes were still locked on the far corner of the room and stayed black for a long time before they slowly turned back to their normal color. He glanced over his shoulder at Tyler and saw the younger boy was still staring at the same spot with a frightened expression.

He reached over and lightly placed his arm on Tyler's trembling shoulder. When the younger boy hesitantly turned his eyes and looked at him, Reid drew him closer and wrapped his arms around him protectively.

--

Pogue groaned sleepily as he heard his cell-phone ring and slowly opened his eyes. His bedroom was still dark and after glancing over at his alarm clock he saw why; seven-thirty.

He ignored his phone's annoying ringing and closed his eyes once again. Just as he felt himself nod off again another ringing sound soon filled his ears, this time coming from his house phone. Fully annoyed from his lack of sleep he rolled over and blindly reached for the receiver perched on his night stand.

"What?" He croaked groggily into the receiver.

"Pogue, its Reid. You need to get over here now."

Pogue yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Can it wait for a few hours?"

"NO!" Reid screamed into the phone, forcing Pogue to hold the receiver a few feet away from his ear. "Get over here NOW!"

With that, Reid hung up and Pogue stared at the phone in his hand confused.

(What the hell?)

He sleepily shook his head and pulled himself upright. He was exhausted beyond belief from his encounter with William during the night and just when he was finally able to get himself to sleep this happens.

He rolled out of his bed and dressed groggily. He slid his arms into the sleeves of a t-shirt and was about to pull it over his head when once again, the strange warmth fluttered inside of his chest.

(Again?)

Pogue forced himself to ignore the feeling and pulled the cloth over his head. His shoes where pulled on a moment later and as he neared the doorway, the warmth inside his chest grew stronger, forcing him to a halt. The left side of his chest swelled painfully, almost causing him to double over in pain. He leaned against the wall for support and waited for it to subside.

(God, what the hell is this thing?)

His eyes started watering and after whimpering in pain, Pogue raised his hand towards his chest. The skin underneath his palm was burning! It felt like it would tear his skin open at any moment. The sensation vanished a minute later, leaving him gasping and wheezing inside the doorway. He cursed angrily and slammed his fist into the wall. This was the third time he felt that weird feeling but this was the only time it was ever painful.

When he got his wind back, Pogue stumbled into his living room and grabbed his keys. His eyes caught a glimpse at something shiny on his coffee table and he stared coldly at the gold pendent lying in the same spot he left it during the previous day.

After a moment, he crossed the room and tucked the pendent into the desk by the door. For some reason he felt like he shouldn't leave it on the table. Besides, if Chase was looking for it, he couldn't afford to leave it lying around in the open like that.

He locked the front door behind him and headed towards the complex's garages in search of his bike.

--

"You saw a darkling?" Pogue couldn't help voicing his confusion. "Seriously?"

"Earlier this morning." Tyler confirmed shakily.

Pogue fell silent as he gazed at the frightened boy. Tyler's arms where shaking as they rested on his leg. The younger covenant member was currently perched on the side of his bed, his eyes occasionally moving towards the far corner of the room. Reid sat a few feet away from him, his face creased in a slight frown.

"Are you sure it was a darkling?" Pogue asked as he brought his hand up towards his face and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Duh, what the hell else could it have been?" Reid grumbled tiredly.

Pogue took a deep breath and held it in. Tyler's fear was attacking his mind rapidly, hindering his ability to think straight.

"Did it attack you two?"

"No." Tyler shook his head. "It just pointed at us and disappeared."

Pogue hummed slightly and bit his lip. He didn't bother asking for any details on what form it took, he already had a pretty good guess. This event just screamed Chase's handy work but what he couldn't figure was why.

"Pogue what's going on?" The youngest boy asked in a quivering voice.

"I don't know Tyler."

"Bullshit!" Reid snapped at him. "We know you've been hiding something from us, you and Gorman. So start talking because I'm tired of being out of the fucking loop."

Pogue blinked and stared at the blond with a wary eye. Even though he felt a little irradiated from the outburst, he could easily understand Reid's frustration. The question was did he want to involve the other two boys in this? The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't have much of a choice. He bit the inside of his lip and heaved a long sigh.

"Where do you want me to start?"

Reid gave him an annoyed look. "Anywhere."

Pogue chewed on his lower lip as he mentally put the events of the past few weeks in order and after clearing his throat, he begin to voice his trail of thoughts. Time seamed to slow to a crawl as he talked, the minutes feeling like years. Neither Reid nor Tyler said anything during his speech, both boys where too lost in their own thoughts to speak. Eventually Pogue reached the part of his story where Chase appeared at the colony house– he made sure to leave out the part the part between himself and Caleb– and finished his story after he retrieved the pendent from the bank, leaving his conversation with William out as well.

"So that's what that thing was." Tyler said softly.

"Yeah, I don't know what it does or why that fucker wants it but I'll be damned if I let him have it."

Reid frowned and shuffled nervously on the bed. "So wait, Chase is still alive?"

"More or less."

The blond groaned and leaned back against the wall.

"Fuck man. This shit's messed up."

"God, Caleb..." Tyler lowered his head as his blue eyes started watering.

Reid scooted closer towards him and placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. Tyler leaned into the touch and slowly moved closer. Pogue sighed and lowered his head; he still couldn't believe Chase sent a darkling after Reid and Tyler. Luck for them, it was just a messenger and didn't cause them any physical harm but still, the meaning was clear; Chase was angry.

(He probably knows I have the pendent, that's why he's pissed. But still, why did he go after Reid and Tyler?)

A small string of emotions touched Pogue's mind then. They weren't very powerful, as a matter of a fact, they were weak and felt like they'd fade away in a moment but there was no mistaking what they were. Fear, anxiety, comfort and – he honestly couldn't believe it– lust. Raising an eyebrow, he shifted his eyes between the two younger boys. Yep, from the way Tyler was curling under Reid's hand and the shy glances they exchanged, something was going on between them.

"Um, you want me to give you two a moment alone?"

Both boys jerked their heads up and looked at him confused.

"W-what?" Tyler stuttered, a faint blush staining his cheeks.

Pogue's lower lip twisted into a grin and Reid growled when he picked up the meaning.

"You and your damn empathic abilities."

Pogue snorted and rolled his eyes. "Nothing empathic about it, you two are easy."

Tyler, if possible, looked even more embarrassed. "Pogue, it's not what you think–"

"Save it kiddo, you two are old enough to do whatever the hell you want." Pogue smirked back and then sighed. "I guess I owe Caleb twenty bucks then."

"What?" Both boys asked at the same time.

"Well, Caleb always though there was something odd about how close you two where and I kept on insisting there wasn't, so about a year ago we made a bet on it. Guess he won."

Tyler's blush increased and he lowered his head. Reid however was glaring at him both enraged and amused.

"You asshole." The blond snorted a moment later and shook his head.

For the first time in many days, Pogue felt himself actually laugh. "It's not my fault you two are predicable."

Reid growled loudly, causing Pogue's grin to widen as he stared at the two boys. However, his grin turned into sad one a short moment later. He happy the two boys had each other but at the same time, he couldn't help but feeling a bit angry at the fact that he was still alone.

(After what I did to Caleb, I deserve to be alone.)

Still, the more he watched the two of them, the more William's words sunk in. The elder Danvers was right; he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. If Chase was already targeting the two boys then how long would it be until he went after them? There was no way Reid or Tyler could fight back because they weren't strong enough, not even together. The only choice left was him.

"So what now?"

Pogue let go of his train of thought and turned towards the two boys. "What are you asking me for, I'm not joining you two in anything–"

"No you idiot. I mean what do we do about Chase?"

"We?" Pogue barked. "You two aren't gonna do anything."

"What?" Reid shot up off Tyler's bed. "You expect us to just sit on our asses while you go up against Chase by yourself?"

"Yes. I do." Pogue replied and also sat up.

"Bullshit."

"Reid, you can bitch and moan all you want but you're not going to help me. I have to do this on my own."

"What, why? Chase will kill you." Tyler finally spoke up.

Pogue stared at the younger boy and shrugged. "Well, he's tried to kill me three times already and failed... I'm pretty sure I have some chance."

It was a dry lie and he didn't even believe it himself, but never the less Pogue kept his face stern. There was no way in hell he going to let Reid and Tyler tag along with him and risk them getting hurt. The two younger covenant members were all he had and he'd gladly accept his own death in the place of their suffering. They needed to carry on what few blood lines the covenant had left.

"You can't be serious."

Pogue glanced over at Tyler and walked towards the door without saying anything else. He made his choice, he may not be strong enough to fight Chase but maybe he could find a way to stop him. Maybe he could find a way to free Caleb...

As the door slid shut behind him, he heard Reid growl and the blond stomped after him into the hallway a moment later.

"Pogue, wait a damn minute."

The older boy forced himself not to turn around as he walked down the hallway towards the staircase leading down to the first floor. However, as he descended down the stairs, he heard Reid's footsteps still fallowing him.

"Pogue!"

As he reached the bottom step, Pogue felt his body freeze against his will. Every nerve and limb went numb and no matter how hard he willed his limbs to move they wouldn't. He didn't understand what was happening to him until Reid jumped down the last step and moved in front of him, his eyes black and full of anger.

"Reid, let me go."

The blond shook his head. "No."

Pogue narrowed his eyes. "I'm not kidding Reid."

"No can do, not until you listen to me."

Pogue growled and tried to fight against the invisible force that held to that spot. He knew he could easily shatter their hold on him but he could tell from the way Reid was staring at him that the blond had something to say and their little tiff wouldn't end until it was said.

"Fine, out with it then."

"I've been attacked by a fucked up mutant spider and a darkling, had to drag your sorry ass out of the Danvers house when you were near death and I've had to put up Gorman and his half-assed excuses on what was going on. Plus, Tyler nearly killed himself every single time he had to heal your sorry ass and how do you repay us? 'You can bitch and moan all you want but you're not going to help me. I have to do this on my own'. Blah, blah, blah. Well too damn bad. We've already lost Caleb because we were told to stay behind while he played the hero and it's not going to happen again."

Pogue grew frustrated and in one quick move, he turned his eyes black and used his own powers to fight Reid's hold on his body.

"Reid you have no fucking idea what the hell you're dealing with." He roared and moved into the blond's personal space. "Chase is four times strong then any of us and he's in control of Caleb. Even if the three of us go up against him we still don't have a chance."

Reid still looked furious and gave him a look that showed he didn't care. Pogue quietly dammed the blond's thick stubbornness and desperately tried to think of a way to break it.

"Reid, do you love Tyler?"

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything?"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes." The blond growled, clenching his fists tightly. "I love Tyler."

"Then for fuck's sake, do as I ask. If something happens to me you'll have to protect him. The two of you need to carry the blood lines on."

Reid blinked, his eyes slowly fading back to their normal blue color. He stared at Pogue for a long stretch of minutes before a deep, shivering growl tore from his throat.

"You son of a bitch."

Pogue drew himself to his full height and held Reid's glare as he stepped around the other teen. Reid didn't move a muscle but his eyes fallowed Pogue's movements closely. He watched as the older boy walked to the edge of the hall and paused when he reached the corner.

"Pogue wait–you can't beat him."

"I know I can't." Pogue sighed softly. "But I can stop him."

"How?"

"I don't know, but I'll find a way."

With that, Pogue turned the corner and Reid listened to his footsteps until they faded from his ears. He remained where he was, his feet frozen to the spot.

Damn Pogue, why did he have to be a hero like Caleb? And what was worse, he dragged Tyler into their conversation and used it against him. Damn. Reid knew the only reason he was mad about that was because Pogue was right; Tyler needed him.

He swore angrily and kicked the wall with his foot as he climbed back up the stairs. Within a few moments, he reached his dorm-room and pushed the door open. When it swung inwards, Reid's head immediately jerked up and a sharp gasp came out of his lips. Tyler was lying on the floor between their beds unconscious and the instant Reid could get his legs to work, he darted across the room and dropped on his knees near Tyler's head.

"Ty, can you hear me? Tyler!"

The door slammed shut loudly behind him and Reid startled and whipped his head around. Caleb stood in the fair corner of the room, amusement flashing inside his amber eyes.

"Hello Reid."