Rumor's Confirmed

          "That's Kili!"  Thorin exclaimed, turning and running from the room, followed immediately by Bilbo and Ethan.

          "Will someone please tell me what brought about the collapse of all three of them?"  Adama asked a little impatiently.

          "We decided to try to bring down the walls that Roark and Kili's subconscious minds built to protect from the contents of their dreams.  We formed a circle of eight around the three of them, and once they were settled and linked, we linked with them.  Severus, Ethan and I went into each of their minds with the intent to try to bring those walls down together."

          "Yes, and did that prove to be a big mistake," came a soft voice from the doorway, making them all turn.

          "Dylan."  His name was said with such relief, filled with love, Dylan smiled.

          "Dad."  He came into the room, his face very pale, his blue eyes holding a deeply haunted look.  He was unsteady on his feet, being supported by Christopher, to take the seat Rodolphus immediately pulled close to the bed.  "Thank you, Dolph," he said, sinking into the chair.

          "You okay, son?" Roark asked him gently as Payton and Desmond joined them, moving to stand on either side of their triplet.

          "I will be, Dad," he said, turning his cheek into the hand that now cupped it.  "KOBOL, Dad, it happened so damn fast.  There was just no way to break out of the link."

          "Can you tell us what went wrong?"

          He nodded slowly.  "First of all, you need to know there's more than one dream.  There are, in fact, several of them, like a puzzle, and each one becomes progressively worse."  His eyes came open and met his father's.  "I never want to have to feel something like that again, Dad.  Their terror was just so...absolute.  Especially Roark.  If it is true that the first time he had that dream was at ten?  Then no wonder he locked himself down."

          Suddenly feeling nauseous and lightheaded, he sat back in the soft leather chair, his body giving a shudder.  A warm blanket was draped over him, and he turned to give Christopher a smile.

          "Thanks, I needed that," he told him, wrapping the blanket around him as he sat at his feet.  Turning his attention back to those waiting patiently, he began,  "As soon as we were all linked, I knew we were going to be in some serious trouble if we couldn't keep things contained.  Severus brought Kili's wall down first, and we were just beginning to go through his dreams when the wall around Roark's memories...shattered.  It came apart like it had been hit by multiple bolts of Harry's lightning, and let me make this very clear," his face was nearly white.  "Roark's premonition dreams are a hundred...a thousand times worse than Kili's.  They're just so...VIVID."

          "Were any of you able to tell what these dreams are trying to tell them?"

          There was silence.  After several centons, Dylan began to shake his head, his eyes reflecting both horror and utter terror, Rodolphus moved, laying a hand on his shoulder.

          "Total annihilation was the very last image any of us received before he and Kili shut themselves down completely before their magic could begin to react."

          "Which Bill said Roark's was on the verge of doing," Roan said as he went to Dylan and began to sift fingers through his dark hair.  "Let it go now," he said to him.  "It does them and you no good to hang onto whatever you saw.  That you can't seem to speak of it tells us all we need to know."

          "Annihilation of what?" came Adama's question as he got to his feet.

          "At this point, your guess would be as good as ours," Roark Sr. answered as he rose to his feet, looking at Desmond and Payton, both of whom nodded and moved to support their brother.  

          "As soon as we realized just how much trouble they were all in, it was nearly too late to react as all three had already begun to spiral out of control.  It was Bill Weasley who reacted first, moving quickly to isolate Dylan from Roark and Kili.  He knew almost instinctively to leave Roark to Harry, Rodolphus, and Rabastan, while Severus and I moved to Kili, Roan already having moved to support Bill."

          "What little we saw of the dreams while linked was like looking at a huge jigsaw puzzle that still needs to be put together.  All the pieces are there, but because they can't face what their premonition is representing as a whole, they can't put them together."

          "As horrific as they are I doubt very much they ever will.  Not on their own, anyway."  Harry said as Roan finished, coming into the room with Rabastan behind him.  Moving immediately to take the seat beside his still deeply sleeping brother.  "I couldn't believe what little I was seeing, and no, I can't tell you where, or when.  I think it's going to take a catalyst to bring this all together."

          "Rodolphus, have either you or Rabastan ever had any dreams like Roark?"

          "No," Rodolphus answered, "but then, premonition is not one of our gifts.  What little I've seen. I've seen only when I am linked with Roark, which is very nearly all the time now.  Our bond is simply too strong for us NOT to be linked in one way or another."

          "There is no order to these dreams," Dylan spoke up suddenly, drawing free of his brothers to lean forward to slip his hand over Roark's, giving it a squeeze, surprised when he seemed to squeeze back.  Slipping from his chair to the bed, he lay his forehead to Roark's temple.  : Are you awake? :

          : Um...mm, : came the murmur.  : Can't seem to open my eyes, :

          : Sebastien sedated you.  Just relax, little brother.  Sleep.  We will figure this out eventually. :  Roark slipped back into sleep as Dylan looked up.  "It's part of why these dreams are so horrifying...so terrifying.  Not just for Roark, but for Kili.  The dreams I'm having are like theirs, like puzzle pieces needing to be put into order before they can be put together.  That's what is so unusual about this.  Premonition dreams are almost always in order, or they come in one dream.  I have NEVER known a premonition dream to do something like this.," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair as Roark suddenly rolled into him, his head snuggling just under his chin.

          Dylan looked down at the head now snuggled against his chest and smiled.  "We will need to put this together, but until Rory can bring himself to move past the horror so that he can remember we're stuck."