Wes was furious as he stormed down the halls of Dalton. How DARE that monster defile his brothers in this way! STEROIDS?! What was the boy thinking?! This was TOO MUCH! Sure, last year he had been mad at Sebastian for the blackmail and the slushie, but THIS was a whole other LEVEL of anger. Sebastian hadn't gotten any of the other boys involved in his schemes and he'd since apologized and sworn to have changed. Hunter was the opposite. He'd roped in and done harm to all of Wes's little bird brothers, and had yet to show the slightest remorse. Wes was NOT going to let that fly.

With the rage for Hunter, he felt also a deep disappointment for his brothers. They had given into the boy. They had let themselves be used. They had went along with this plan. The Warblers name was forever tarnished, and the boys had ruined their own lives with these mistakes. He honestly didn't know how he'd be able to even look at them anymore. He would try, but it would be hard. Most likely, he'd simply make his rant and storm out again. These boys would have to do A LOT of work to regain his respect.

As he got to the doors of Warbler hall, he paused, frowning at the commotion inside. He put his ear to the door and listened.

"YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE MAGGOT!" Came an unfamiliar angry voice. Must have been Hunter, Wes instantly reasoned. "You DARE try to tell ME what to do!? I am the CAPTAIN of this sorry excuse for a Show Choir! I call the shots here! If you don't like it, well then too freaking bad! You should have LEFT with that other spineless fatso BEFORE you took the needle! You...SHUT UP AND STOP CRYING!"

"Hunt...PLEASE...let him go." A shaking voice pleaded. Thad, Wes recognized. "He...He didn't mean it. Please, he's only a freshmen. He didn't know any better. Please...Just...Just put him down and take a breath. You're roid raging again and..."

"QUIET!" Hunter yelled. "He knew EXACTLY what he was saying, didn't you Lincoln?!"

There was a whimper, presumably from Lincoln. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me"

"Hunt. The kid said he was sorry." Another voice reasoned. David. Wes would know his best friend's voice anywhere. "He's scared enough. Just let it go..."

"NO!" Hunter snapped. "I am in charge here! I TOLD you all to keep your traps shut! I WARNED YOU what would happen if you told. And yet THIS little pea-brained imbecile decides to suggest we CONFESS?! NO! The plan is so simple, a MONKEY could do it! You morons only have ONE job: KEEP YOUR TRAPS SHUT! Let ME do all the talking, and if you have to talk, you stick to the script of what I tell you to say!" He growled "Let THIS be an example of what I do with TRAITORS!"

"NO!" Someone cried. Wes didn't have time to name the yell before there was loud crash and a scream that sounded like it had come from Lincoln.

Wes's heart leaped in his chest as he whipped the doors open. The scene before him was horrific.

A small boy, whom he assumed was the freshman Lincoln, lay among the shattered remains of a coffee table, bruised, and bloody and crying in fear and pain. He was being shielded by a worried looking David. Jeff and Nick were both huddled in the corner, guarding a small group of cowering younger boys, though the couple looked frightened themselves. Hunter was yelling and raging frighteningly, violently flipping a table and throwing a chair. Sebastian pulled Thad out of the way as the chair soared right through where the petrified boy had been standing. He made a move to go stop Hunter and protect his friends, but Thad held him back, quietly begging Sebastian not to be an idiot and put himself in Hunter's line of fire. It was dangerous.

Wes was frozen in the doorway. This was not something that was supposed to happen at Dalton, in the Warblers. Boys were not supposed to be afraid of being in this room. Boys should be happy. Feel safe. Feel like they belonged and were loved and cared for. The younger students should feel they had someone to trust. Someone to turn to if times went bad. Not this. Never this. Fear. Fear was not supposed to exist at Dalton Academy. It was NOT!

Jeff had pulled one of the shaking freshmen into his arms and was rocking him softly, seemingly singing to try to calm the boy down. The little boy looked up and saw Wes. His eyes were a piercing amber color in his fear. It was hauntingly similar to the way Blaine's eyes had once stared at him in the night after he'd dream about the Sadie Hawkins from hell. The eyes begged for Wes to save him. To save them. Wes didn't know the poor child's name, but the boy seemed to recognize him from somewhere. The eyes flitted to a picture on the wall. A picture of Wes. The frame was engraved with three B's, an acronym for the nickname his baby Warblers had long ago given him. The little boy's eyes again locked on him and he spoke, frightened yet clearly and loudly for all to hear, the words Wes knew so well. The words Jeff and Nick and Thad and David had likely taught them. "Big Brother I need you."

THAT was the last straw. He stormed into the room and went straight to Hunter. The room was dead silent except for Hunter's ranting and raving. All of the boys were staring at him with shock, hope, and wonder. Nick put a hand to his mouth to muffle a sort of choked sob. Jeff pinched himself, needing to be sure this wasn't some sort of wishful dream or hallucination. Seb stood stalk still, afraid, until Wes gave him a small nod on the way past, relaxing him. Thad clung to Sebastian, muttering prayers of thanks under his breath. David beamed at his old friend and very comically saluted him before kneeling down to tend to Lincoln.

Hunter had not noticed the former head of council's presence in the room. He didn't until it was too late.

"HEY!" Wes yelled. "You the ASSHOLE who's been messing with MY BOYS!?"

Hunter whipped around, eyes feral. "YOUR BOYS?! No! I'M the Captain of this choir! This bunch of IDJITS belong to ME! Who the HELL are you?!"

Wes growled as he advanced on Hunter. "My name is Weston Jonathan Montgomery-Hughes. I was a head of Warbler Council before you ever even set foot in Ohio. I was president of Student Council from my freshman year until graduation. I was Captain of the Martial Arts team, Debate team, Archery and Riflery club, Chemistry club, Scholastic Decathlon team, and the Fencing team. I was top of my class every year and graduated as Valedictorian." He point to the picture on the wall. "The three B's on that frame stand for a title that I hold as the HIGHEST honor I received in my years at Dalton. A nickname awarded to me by my fellow Warblers." He stared Hunter down, eyes near black in rage. "I am Big Brother Bird. YOU have hurt my fledgling." He was close enough to be almost literally chest to chest with Hunter. "So...to answer your question...I am your worst nightmare!"

Hunter's eyes flashed in fear for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by fury. He let out a near primal cry and swung. There was a solid crack as he caught Wes in the jaw.

The other warblers gasped in horror. Hunter had just hit Wes! Some feared for Wes's safety now. Those who knew Wes, however, feared for Hunter's.

Wes had stumbled back slightly. Cautiously, he brought a hand to his now bleeding lip. He seemed to ponder the red liquid on his fingers, before smiling wickedly and staring Hunter dead in the eye. "You probably shouldn't have done that..."

There was a cheer behind him. Cries of "YOU GO WES!" and "TAKE HIM DOWN!" rang through the hall.

Hunter roared "SHUT UP!" and the hall instantly quieted in fear.

"No." Wes said, standing up to his full intimidating stature. "You boys can cheer as loud as you want. Warblers is a SAFE place. Don't let this bully stop you." He glared down at Hunter. "He is NOT a true Warbler."

Hunter growled as he ran forward, intent on decking Wes again. His fist flew towards Wes's jaw once more, intending to break it this time.

However, this time Wes caught the blow in his hand. With a fluid motion, he yanked a startled Hunter around and pinned him, wrist between shoulder blades, bringing the boy to his knees. He chuckled darkly. "TOLD you!" He whispered for only Hunter to hear, "You REALLY shouldn't have done that!"

Hunter squirmed about and somehow managed to get away. He scurried to his feet and got in a fighting stance. "I'm not afraid of you, you little..."

"EARMUFFS!" Sebastian cried over him. The older boys quickly covered the younger boy's ears. Some boys shielded each other or themselves. Hunter had a rather colorful vocabulary to start with, but when he was raging or fighting, he REALLY let loose some bad words. Words that the littlest Warblers had no reason to be exposed to.

Wes nodded to Sebastian quickly in thanks before returning his attention to Hunter. "You're right." He purred, "You shouldn't be afraid of ME. I'm just a person. No...what you should afraid of is what I'm going to DO to you..."

"SHUT UP!" Hunter shrieked and threw another punch.

Wes smirked as he dodged. That wasn't even close. He was throwing the boy off-balance. "You should be." He said simply, "I've taken down A LOT bigger boys than you before. A lot stronger too. And CERTAINLY much SMARTER!" He suddenly threw his leg out and swept Hunter's feet out from under him. The boy went crashing to the floor.

Hunter grunted in pain. He looked up to see Wes towering over him, staring down with eyes full of hate, anger, and disgust.

"Run." Wes said simply, "Leave." There was an unspoken 'before I change my mind.'

Hunt stood up brushing himself off and glaring as he back up slowly for the door. "This isn't over!" He growled, "NOT by a long shot!"

"GO!" Wes screamed at him, "NOW!"

Hunter jumped and hurried out the door. It slammed shut loudly behind him.

Wes slowly started to catch his breath, closing his eyes as he breathed to calm and center himself. His eyes shot open suddenly in surprise as he felt a small weight crash into him and wrap itself around his waist. He looked down to see the little amber eyed boy staring up at him with a bright toothy smile.

"You're him!" the boy whispered, "You're THE Wes! You're Big Brother Bird!" His eyes were alight as if he were a six-year-old meeting Superman.

Wes smiled softly and ruffled the boy's hair. "Sure am." He looked up at the sound of a sob near by.

Nick was walking towards him shakily, tears streaming, "Wes...you're here. You're really here."

Wes nodded. "Ya. I'm back." He sighed and opened his arms, "Come here Kiwi."

Nick choked and ran forward, burrowing himself into Wes's embrace. He was shaking as he cried in relief.

Wes held him and rocked him softly, trying in vain to soothe his cries. It was obvious to him now that his little Warblers had not given into Hunter willingly. They had been forced. Attacked, threatened, blackmailed, and god knows what else. His poor fledglings were frightened and had been for far to long. The realization hit Wes like a freight train and made his stomach flip nauseously. He held tighter to his quivering baby bird. "It's ok now Nick. I'm here now. You guys are gonna be alright. I won't let that monster touch you again."

Nick nodded into his shirt. "Missed you Wessie..."

Wes gulped. "I know Kiwi. I know." It startled him how similar this moment was to the one when Nick had earned his nickname. The boy had trembled in his arms this same way. So scared and small and helpless. It was no wonder Wes had called Nick by the name of the small, fluffy, flightless New Zealand bird.

Jeff cautiously approached Wes, blinking in disbelief. His face showed wonder and confusion. This had to be some sort of dream. Timidly, he raised a finger and poked Wes's cheek. He jumped back in surprise as it actually made contact with something. After a second, it hit him what this meant. He wasn't dreaming. Wes was really there! "BB!" He shrieked and tackle hugged Wes from the side.

Wes laughed and caught Jeff with one arm the way he knew so well. He pulled him closer and held him up, smiling as the squirrelly blonde nuzzled into his neck. "Hey there Jeffie! How is my little Cuckoo-bird?"

Jeff beamed at Wes. "I wasn't ok before, but everything is all better now that you're here!"

Wes smiled and nodded. "That's Awes..." He stopped as he looked down, shocked at what he saw.

Jeff's ankle was wrapped in a bright blue and white support bandage and brace. The kind Wes's uncle wore sometimes after he'd broken his leg and rolled his ankle at work when Wes was 5. The fact that Jeff, HIS blonde baby brother, was wearing one was NOT ok.

He gulped. "Jeff..." Wes said softly, "How long have you had that?"

Jeff stiffened slightly. "Beginning of the year..." He mumbled

"Why?" Wes sighed. He had a feeling he knew the answer.

"I...I got hurt during Warblers." Jeff said timidly, "It's all healed now but...it still hurts sometimes."

"Hunter?" Wes questioned quietly.

Jeff nodded. "Hunter."

Wes felt his blood boil. He put Jeff down gently, the blonde quickly curling into Nick's waiting arms. Wes walked to the center of the room and looked around. All of these boys had been victims of Hunter's tyranny. All his Warblers had clipped and broken wings. This was wrong. So wrong. Hunter shouldn't be able to get away with this. He WOULDN'T!

Wes's attention was drawn by a whimper of pain behind him. He turned to see the freshman Hunter had just attacked still laying among the ruins of the coffee table. David was attempting to tend to him, but the boy was obviously still in pain and scared.

Wes smiled sadly at the boy as he knelt beside him. "Hi. You're Lincoln, right?"

The boy looked up at him and nodded, his big baby blue eyes wide and welling up with tears.

Wes smiled and brushed away Lincoln's tears softly with his thumb. "Well, I'm Wes. My friend's here call me..."

"Big Brother Bird." Lincoln said softly, "I know. The others tell us all about you. You were the biggest, bravest, brightest Warbler of them all. You're a hero." He smiled softly. "You're MY hero."

Wes grinned and ran a hand through the kid's hair. "Well Lincoln, I happen to think what YOU did today was very heroic too."

Lincoln's eyes went wide. "Really? How? I got beat up!"

Wes nodded."I see that. THAT'S why you're a hero. You knew the risk of standing up to Hunter, but you did it anyway. THAT takes real courage."

Lincoln beamed. "Thank you!" He tried to move, but grimaced and whimpered again in pain.

Wes frowned and looked the boy over. Hunter had really done a number on him. "Where does it hurt most buddy?"

Lincoln groaned. "All over..."

David move forward and took one of the boy's hands. He sighed. "He's got a bunch of cuts and bruises all over him. The table wasn't glass so we don't have to worry about stray shards, but there's a lot of stray splinters and slivers. I think he might have a few of those wedged in there."

Lincoln whimpered, "You're gonna have to pull them all, aren't you?"

Wes smiled sadly. "Better than leaving them in buddy."

"Here." Came a voice from behind. Wes turned to see Sebastian pulling a roll of duct tape out of his backpack. "We can use this."

David's eyebrows went up and together. "How is THAT going to help?"

Seb went over and knelt by the boy. "I'll show you." He smiled warmly at Lincoln, "Hand please?"

Lincoln sniffed and put his hand, palm up, in Sebastian's lap.

Seb ripped off a piece of duct tape and placed it over the boy's hand. Over all the splinters. He nodded to Lincoln. "On three, I'll pull it off and it'll take all the wood at once, ok?"

Lincoln nodded mutely.

Seb smiled softly. "One...two...Three." He pulled the tape off like a band-aid.

Lincoln yelped slightly, but otherwise seemed ok.

Sebastian flipped over the tape to show all of the little splinters and slivers stuck to it. "See? All done." He balled it up and chucked it into a waste basket "Trick my dad taught me when I was little." He handed the roll to David, "Here. You do it."

David nodded, " Thanks Bas." He pulled off a piece and went to work removing the slivers from Lincoln's skin.

Seb slowly ghosted his hand over Lincoln's body, checking him over for other injuries. "Tell me if anything REALLY hurts bad, ok?"

Lincoln nodded. "Yes Sebastian." He was quiet except for yipping a little each time David removed more splinters.

Wes frowned. This all seemed far too...choreographed. Like it was a routine the boys were use to carrying out. "Does this sort of thing happen often?"

"Unfortunately...ya. It's sort of a regular thing." Seb sighed as he continued to check Lincoln over. "We've gotten pretty good at dealing with what Hunter leaves in his war path. If we can't...well, either Commander Clarington gives us an excuse or we make one up ourselves." He stopped as Lincoln yelped loudly in pain when Sebastian put pressure on his wrist. Seb gently lifted the injured appendage to examine it closer. "Well THAT'S a sprain." He looked back over his shoulder, "Thad..."

"First aid kit. I know. I'll go get it." Thad nodded and dashed from the room.

"GRAB SOME ICE TOO!" Seb called after him.

"GOT IT!" Thad responded.

"THANK YOU!" Seb yelled back. He turned back and smiled softly at Lincoln, gently reaching up to brush away a tear from the boy's face with his knuckle, "It's ok Linc. We got you. Wes is right. You were SO brave. I'm proud of you kid."

David nodded. "And you're being so strong right now. I know I'd be yelling and screaming if I were you."

Wes smirked softly. "He's not kidding. I remember this one time he tried to practice his Spanish on a foreign exchange student at Crawford..."

"HEY!" David protested, "She was a SOCCER PLAYER and wearing HEELS! You'd have cried too if she kicked you in the you-know-where!"

Wes shrugged. "True, I'd probably have been in tears too, but I wouldn't have squealed at an octave not even KURT could hit! You sounded like a chipmunk on helium."

Lincoln giggled. There was something about hearing a funny story involving someone else's pain that was able to distract him from his own.

The little amber eyed boy crawled over and sat by Wes, looking up at the asian in wonder.

David chuckled. "Looks like little Andy likes you Wes."

Wes smiled down at the boy. "Oh, so your name is Andy."

The boy nodded. "Andrew Hanna Landon."

"Andy Landy." Seb teased.

Andy smiled brightly, "That's my name. Don't wear it out!"

Seb laughed and ruffled Andy's hair. "You've been spending too much time around me. You're starting to get sassy!"

Andy giggled and shook his head, "No. YOUR name line is always 'Remember my name, you'll.."

David quickly clapped at hand over Andy's mouth, laughing. "Ok. You HAVE been around Seb too much."

Sebastian was BRIGHT scarlet. "I am SO sorry! I SWEAR I don't know when I said that in front of him. I told you I've tried to work on my filter, but I guess some things have slipped."

Wes and the other's laughed.

Wes patted Seb on the shoulder. "It's ok, kid. We all say and do stupid stuff from time to time."

Seb nodded, looking guiltily at the floor. "Me more often than others..."

Wes was about to respond, when Thad came back into the room with the first aid kit and ice.

The boys gathered around. All the Warblers had flocked together to comfort and protect each other and to be comforted and protected.

Wes hugged more of his old friends and made friends with the new generation. He looked around. All the boys looked scared and hopeful. They NEEDED his help and wanted desperately to ask, but were scared he'd leave them again. He wouldn't. He COULDN'T! His brothers were broken. They needed him, and he was going to stay as long as he had to for him to make them ok again. He pulled them all closer into a group hug of sorts.

"Please tell me what's going on", Wes said and the boys looked at each other.

Then Sebastian started talking, started explaining, started to ask for help.