Error's POV

I stand in a hall against a wall, facing the room that Encre and Inky were taken inside. On both sides of me are the doors to Papy and E!Gaster. I'd rather be as far as I can from that room but I'm forbidden from going in to see Ink until Geno, Reaper and Suave find a way to stabalize him AND Encre. Also, for whatever reason, Papy wants me to guard E!Gaster, his room in the very least. I couldn't say no to him. So here I am. I have no clue what condition that jerk is in, but know that Papy can't get out of bed. Killer went to see Nightmare. Dream and Cross constantly visit, Dream asking for updates and Cross to drag him away in order not to bother us when Dream is going too far, which is very frequent and fast. Fallacy paces through the halls. Jasper is asleep in his room, unaware to any of this. But Fallacy is pacing in a way that you can tell he is worried. Plus, it's easy to read his expression. He seems to be pacing to lose stress but it's only building up.

Ghastly comes out to join us and check on us. He and I talk but he notices Fallacy's behavior. He stands in front of Fallacy, stopping him from pacing.

"You seem stressed. Take a hug! It always makes people feel better."He says

"Um thanks but I don't thi-"Fallacy begins

"Take the hug before you freaking self-implode mister. I will tell Encre when he's ready for visitors that you declined it. You know how he is about stress and hugs."He snaps

"Ok ok!"Fallacy says

They hug. You could see the stress wash off Fallacy as Ghastly comforted him. Ghastly returns to Nightmare and Killer chats with us now. Once he left, Fallacy stands beside me and we just wait. I try to talk with him but he gave this vibe that he didn't want to talk, which I understand.

Minutes turned to an hour.

An hour becomes hours.

We wait there.

I peek my head into Papy's room and we chat.

"BrOtHer! CaN yOu cHeCk oN E!GaStEr?"Papy asks

"WhY?!"I ask

"I heAr hIm yElLinG nO!"Papy says

"MaYbe iT iS thE gUiLt!"I say

"PlEasE?"He asks

"FiNe."I sigh

"Stubborn, Huh?"Fallacy says when I shut the door

"FoR gOod rEaSonS."I assure him

"Heh, alright."He says

I peek in the door and see E!Gaster watching UnderNovela. I frown. Though it is interesting that we have something in common. But he's yelling no Asgoro whenever I would cheer for him. He was only pleased at the bad times, not the good times. I shake my head.

"YoU wOrRieD PapY nExT doOr. QuIt iT."I say

He shrugs me off. I shut the door and shake my head.

"DoN'T kNoW wHy hE heLpS tHis gUy, bUt I tRusT tHeRe iS gOoD iN hIs rEaSoNiNg."I say

Fallacy just nods in agreement. Then he goes silent, drowning in worry. But it was the kind where it was as if he saw a shallow pool of worry, took a hose and filled it with his own worries, then cannonballed into it, looking for the good news or bright side that he left floating at the top. And every time he ignores someone's positive insight is like someone drowing but avoiding the rescue buoy. I shake my head. I check the clock that Ink gave me(way back in the day, or earlier chapter ;3) that I now carry in my jacket and see that we have pulled an all-nighter waiting for them, it is 9AM. We cannot tell because this hall has no windows.

"I think I'll go fix my door lock....For later."He finally says

"OkAy."I say

He had told me already about his plans for Encre. That is, when he wakes up. He walks away and I stand there alone now. Some hours pass and I hear some weird noises down the hall. Then I hear Fallacy yell in pain. Panic fills me quickly and I slither to him quickly. I thought he was in trouble.

Oh, I am very mistaken.

I slow to a stop.

And question what I am seeing. 

Pieces of the door laid everywhere, broken and apart. To the point where you wouldn't even know it was a door without a door frame nearby that was missing a door. And where is Fallacy in this? Sitting in the center of the pieces, rubbing his head. I facepalm.

"HoW'd thIs aLl hApPen fRoM fIxInG a DoOr lOcK?"I ask

"Hey, I dunno how to fix a lock! I thought I could break it apart, fix the lock, and reassemble it!"He says

"AnD thIs haPpEnS?"I say

"Hey, it was worth a shot! I'm a vampire, not a craftsman like....like....Encre."He says, bowing his head

I sigh.

"LeT mE hElp."I say

It took some time, but we manage to fix the door AND lock. I hope it lasts or according to Fallacy's plans, they may get interrupted if the door falls to pieces or someone peeks in. Ghastly comes over. He grabs me and drags me away. Fallacy puts the door in place before I could no longer see him. Ghastly pushes a door open, one that was shut the entire time. He sets me up right again and gestures to one of the beds. I look at him.

"Go to him."He says

"WaIt, yOu mEAn-"I begin

"Glitchy?"I hear a beloved voice cut off my sentence

I look over at the bed. I smile. Ghastly nudges me along. I slither after he stops towards the bed, breaking into tears of joy. He is awake and stable. I smile at him. I lean in close. He places a hand around my head and I gently press my head against his.

"Hey, Glitchy. How are you?"He says

"HOW AM I?! InKy, nEvEr sCaRe mE lIke tHat aGaIn! NeVeR dO tHat aGaIn y0u iDioT!"I tell him

"Do what?"He asks

He doesn't remember...

"And when did you become a snake?"He asks 

"NothInG fOr y0u t0 woRrY aBouT. I aM s0 haPpY yOu'Re Up!"I tell him

"Glitchy, you get so worried and I don't get it. You act so silly when you get like this. But, you do look cute when you get like this too."He tells me

"I lOvE yOu!"I tell him

"I know, I know! And you know I return the feelings, right?"He says

"YeS!"I say

"Good!"He says

He smiles and so do I. He leans in and kisses me. I completely give in. I enjoy it. But I limit ourselves. For all I know he just woke up and is still recovering. I part from him. He looks at me.

"Did you even sleep? You look exhausted!"He says

"Y-Ya, I-"I begin

"He lIeS."Ghastly says

I look at him and frown. He smirks.

"Seriously, Error?!"Inky snaps at me

I look at him. He picks me up and places me beside him in bed. He pulls the blanket up, tucking me in with him even with my snake tail form. He holds me gently and smiles. I feel my face burn and look at him.

"Rest!"He tells me

"I'll leave you both to rest well."Ghastly says, shutting the door

"Come on Error, rest. You need to rest. I don't want you to crash or for something to happen from your tiredness. I-oh! G-G-Glitchy....."He tells me

His face becomes a rainbow and he looks away from me.

"WhAt iS iT?" I ask

"Y-Your tail."He replies

He shifts closer to me but seems alarmed by this, as if he didn't intend to. He looks at me, then buries his head against the pillow and into my chest. I dunno what he means. I lift up the blanket and see that my tail has wrapped around his legs, pulling him to me. Since he doesn't recall what happened, he must be uneased about this.

"Oh! InKy, I aM sO sOrRy, I-!"I begin but stop when I lift his head up

He's asleep again.

I smile. I wrap my arms around him, holding him close. Protection. Love. Care. For him. He looks so sweet when he sleeps. I doze off soon enough as well.

When I wake up, Ink was turned away from me. I don't mind. But he seems to be talking to someone. Encre, from where they lay in the beds. And the topic? Us.

"So, you and Error really are past that whole enemy phase and friend phase?"Encre asks

"Mhm."Inky replies

"And you're what now?"Encre asks

"Eh, depends on the source. Some say we're a sailing ship, others say couple....Few say pretenders. But I know one thing. I'm in love and he reciprocates it. We're in love, and that's the only thing I really know."Ink explains

"And how long has this been?"Encre asks

"Hmm, let me see. Where is my scarf? Aha!"He says, reaching from the bed and lifting his scarf

"What are you doing?"Encre asks

"Checking tally marks."He replies

"Tally marks?"Encre repeats

"Each one represents 1,200 hours we've been together. Hmm, there's 52 tally marks. Meaning, um...62,400 hours."He explains

He keeps track of that? With his memory and scarf? And our multiverse issues? Wow...Heh, Inky....I do have a special place in that mind of yours don't I? ♥

"Woah, that has to be at least 7 years if I am correct. Cool! That must be nice."Encre says

"Heh, don't sound so upset. You seem to have your own time starting with Fallacy there.~"He teases

"Oh ferme la!"Encre snaps

(*Oh shut up!)

Ink chuckles.

Good point.

"Have you even considered to mets une bague dessus? If you get what I'm saying."Encre suggests

(*put a ring on it)

"N-No! I-I-I uh, well, I-"He stutters

No clue what Encre said.

His body stiffens in the way that tells me that he is getting nervous and may make the floor his new canvas by acident if you get what I'm saying. I decide to intervene and pretend to be asleep in order for Inky to not worry about me overhearing them. I wrap my arms around him and reat my head on his.

"Inky....."I say sleepily

"Aww, he's grown attatched to you. Close bond."Encre says

"Like someone I know you know."Ink teases

"Oh quiet!"Encre teases

"So, do you reciprocate his feelings? It does seem obvious. You said he told you AND kissed you. Do you plan on telling him?"

The door flies open. I sit up and rub my eyes sleepily.

"Encre!"A voice cheers

I glance over and see Jasper run over, hugging Encre.

"Hey, Jasper."Encre says

"You're okay! I'm so glad! And that would make Father even happier! He hasn't gotten any sleep and has been worried sick about you! Suave just broke the news to me! Don't you ever get in that kind of danger again!"Jasper says

"Oh? Really? Sorry, Jasper...I didn't mean to I promise. I won't."Encre says

I hear footsteps and look to see Fallacy peek in. He looked exhausted, even more than before. And when he sees Encre up and alright, his face ignites and brightens up.

"There he is now! Father! Get in here! Encre's up!"Jasper says

Fallacy nods and comes in. He stands beside Encre's bed, gazing at him and Jasper happily.

"He promised not to get in trouble or worry us, mostly you again! Isn't that great?"Jasper cheers

"Mhm."Fallacy says

"H-Hey F-F-Fallacy."Encre stutters, his face lighting up a bit

"Hey..."Fallacy says

"How do you feel?"Jasper asks Encre

"I f-feel ok."Encre replies

"Ya hear that Father?"Jasper asks

"Mhm."Fallacy says

"Now you have no excuses!"Jasper says

"Excuses?"Encre inquires

"He kept refusing to rest until he knew you were ok!"Jasper replies

"Monsieur, he's right. You have no excuses to avoid resting now."Encre agrees

Fallacy shakes his head, letting out a sigh.

Jasper looks at him and smirks. Then he looks at Encre.

"He didn't hear a word you said, Encre."Jasper says

"Is he that tired?"Encre asks

"No, he went deaf from love. His gaze at you says it all. And since I know you are getting feelings for him too....When are you gonna tell him?"Jasper asks

Encre looks over at Inky, who just smiles and chuckles a bit. I smirk. Similar questions. Encre looks at Jasper again.

"Well?"Jasper asks

Encre's face becomes a rainbow. He looks down nervously.

"U-Um....I-I-"He mumbles

"Jasper!"Fallacy snaps

"What? I know you weren't listening!"Jasper says

"I can see you made him uneasy!"Fallacy claims

"Well, okie. Sorry, Encre. Answer when you're ready, whenever that'll be. I will go play with Ghastly."Jasper says, leaving the room

Encre nods. He looks at Fallacy and smiles. But in a blink Fallacy becomes a blur. Another, he's in the bed with Encre in his arms. He's very happy about this with a big smile and his face brightly glowing. Encre is an absolute mess, blushing and stuttering nervously, caught off guard by this new position. Fallacy nuzzles his head lovingly.

"M-M-Monsieur?"Encre stutters

"Yes, love?"Fallacy responds

That made Encre's face get brighter.

"W-W-What are you doing?"He asks

"Holding you close to protect you. What do you want me to do?"Fallacy asks

"U-Ummm..."he says

"Cause I know what I wanna do.~"Fallacy says, kissing his neck

"A-Ahh! M-M-M-Monsieur! Rest!"He exclaims, his face a blushing mess

"Aww, okay. Come on then, love."Fallacy says

Fallacy lays down and takes Encre down with him. Encre is held tightly and protectively, but out of love. He looks at us, stuck as Fallacy dozes off.

"See my point?"Ink asks with a hint of tease

Encre's eye lights shine. He shifts to turn his back to us and get close to Fallacy. He snuggles Fallacy, falling asleep. But this surprises Fallacy. He opens his eyes and looks at Encre. He smiles, then looks at me. I'm still sitting up beside Inky, who hasn't noticed I'm up. He points to Encre with the expression of a kid showing an achievement. Like look! I did it! kind of look. I smile and nod. He smiles even more and continues snuggles with Encre. He dozes off as well. I smile and take my chance now. I lean over Inky and kiss his cheek. His rainbow appears.

"InKy, I hOpE yOu rEsTeD wElL."I tell him

He chuckles and smiles.

"Oh, I did, Glitchy. I did."He tells me

We both get up and leave the two for their privacy. We join Papy in his room to watch UnderNovela together and PROPERLY, unlike E!Gaster. Everything seems good now, just need some recovery time. Or so I thought.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

And I thought wrong.

A few days later, Nightmare's POV

I groan and slowly come back to consciousness. I shake my head and open my eyes.

"Morning Ki-"I begin but stop myself

Killer isn't with me, Ghastly isn't either. Nobody. And I am no longer in the room I fell asleep in. I look around and find that I'm in this house that got the door kicked in. I see bits of blood on the floor, but really don't recognize the place. I peek through the doorway and see that this place is big and someone attempted to hide it behind bushes in an anti-void. Real stupid. I wander about the place after failing to leave through the open doorway. Weird right? It was like some kind of barrier was keeping me inside. I checked myself. No collars or anything that could hurt me or enable that was on me. So, I decide to find out where I am exactly.

"Ah, so you're up. That's good. Now, I need something from you."A voice says

I turn around and I see this black figure approaching me. I get uneasy and go to my hostile form.

"Wow! How'd you know?"They say

They extend their hand and I feel this great pain. The goop pulled itself off me roughly like how it would feel for a human to get tape torn off them. I drop to my knees and gag from the pain. I try to turn but no longer can. This makes me even more uneasy. They took my form away. My attacks, defense, all of it. Spikes raise up and form chains around my wrists.

"What the hell do you want?!"I snap

"You should know. I am from you after all. Unless you forgot already. I want to thank so many of your dear companions. Like Dream. If he wasn't so stupid to give you half his soul, then you would've still had me contained. And if Killer wasn't stupid enough to kiss that Color guy, you wouldn't have been broken enough to let me go. Oh, the list goes on and on. I'm gonna have so much fun!"They say

"W-Who are you?"I ask

"To put it simply, I am the embodiment of all your demons, monsters, fears, insecurities, any weakness. But with power. I was that dark energy you released. Speaking of, that Cross dude is a boulder in my way. He helped you, which weakens me. He will know that you're gone and surely cause trouble. He has to go. And now that you're stuck here, going through with my plan will be a piece of butterscotch pie. Or cinnamon, whichever you prefer. Too easy. But, then again, this is you I am dealing with...."They say

He kneels down in front of me, summoning a syringe. He injects it into my arm.

"Agh!"I snap

"That should do the trick. Sweet dreams, Nightmare."He says

I cough and gag, choking up already. I drop the ground, feeling weak and weaker. I cough up blood but couldn't do anything. Then, I hear glass shatter.

"Brother! I know you're here! I'm coming!"I hear Dream shout

"Speaking of dreams, seems like I'll get to do my plan sooner than anticipated."He says

My protective brother instinct kicks in, and as if on adrenaline, got the strength to get up. I pull at the chains, trying to free myself.

"Dream! Get out! D-Don't put yourself in d-d-danger! I don't want you hurt!"I yell

Too late.

Dream runs in and I see him come over from behind.

"Nightmare!"He cries out, seeing my condition

"Run!"I tell him, then cough up blood again

I check my stats. My hp is dropping and to summarize it, my condition is dying. I'm not kidding you, it said STATUS: DYING.

"I'm not a coward! I will get you out of here!"He tells me

"Hmm, those statements are ironic. Especially with your history."A voice says

"Who are you?"Dream asks

"Call me Tim. Now, you're an interesting one, Dream."He says, stepping closer

Dream takes out his bow and arrows.

"Don't come near us."He growls

"Sorry, I dunno who you're gonna shoot. Hard to tell. Me or him?"Tim says

"You, stupid!"Dream snaps

"Hmm, so why'd you shoot him before?"He asks

Dream freezes up, remembering. He blinks and frowns.

"Don't use the past against me. That amo is flimsy and weak in this...conversation."Dream says

Tim zips over, grabbing Dream and pinning him against the wall.

"Now you're a fascinating one. You say all these things and may seem predictable. A golden ray of sunshine that would never hurt someone he cares for, but your history tells a much different story. Many believed you were smart but turns out you're stupid. Though, I have to be grateful for that or I wouldn't exist. Hah, replacing his half of a soul with yours was a bad move, no matter how good it seemed at the time."He says

"Dream!"I yell, tugging at the chains

Gotta protect him!

"Let him go!"Dream snaps, ignoring what he said

"Is that some indirect way of saying let me go? What? Gonna abandon him again?"He asks

"No! I'm not like that! Not anymore!"Dream denies

"Oh, but you are. Nobody really changes. There is always that tiny part of a person, bundled and wrapped up in all the other parts, hidden away from sight, that never changed. And there is one of those pieces in you. And for that, I thank you. Because of you, I exist. I am getting my plan in action and am becoming stronger from everything I got from Nightmare, your dear brother. Many are things you caused him. And now, as I speak, I am taking everything from you. Who knew that the guardian of positivity could be so negative? So insecure with so many fears and weaknesses?"He says

"Former."Dream says

"What?"He asks

"Former guardian of positivity. I passed that title on to someone who fits it."Dream says

"Ah, more fun for me. Can't wait to learn who that is!"He says

I think of all our friends and one name comes to mind that would fit it. E!Pap. Oh no....Isn't he recovering still with the others? Why is Dream telling him? Now E!Pap could be in trouble!

"Tch, good luck with that. You won't."Dream says

"Now, as a reward for what you've done, I'm gonna make you as uninvolved in this as you made yourself when your brother needed you."He says, jabbing a syringe in Dream's arm

"Dream!"I yell, watching him down

I check my stats again and check what I can do. I can still do blue attacks! I turn Dream's soul blue and pull him close to me, hugging him.

"I got you, Dream. I got you."I tell him

"Hah, those must be your last words. Neither of you will last much longer."He says

I flip him off with my middle finger behind Dream's back. He laughs and leaves. But we weren't alone for long. 

E!Gaster comes through a portal to us.

"Stay away from us!"I snap

"ReLaX. I'Ve cHaNgEd mY vIeWs aNd wAnT tO hElp yOu gUys nOw."He says

"I highly doubt that."I say

Dream groans in pain, trying to stay awake. I hold him close and cover my mouth, coughing up blood. Again. E!Gaster checks our stats.

"YoU're dYiNg."He says like a doctor making a surprising diagnosis

"No shit Sherlock."I say

"LeT mE hElp."He says

I look at Dream. I don't want to risk him with E!Gaster but I feel that worse may happen if I don't take the risk.

"Fine."I sigh

He cuts me free of the chains. He puts an APPLE SLICE in my mouth and another in Dream's.

"I pUt sPeCIaL cHeMiCaLs iN tHoSe. It sHouLd hEal yOu bOth aNd gIve yOu dIsGuIsEs t0 hIdE yOu fRom wHoEvEr dId tHiS. NoW, Go tHroUgh tHis pOrTal. It iS a sAfE AU tHat nObOdy wOulD lOoK fOr yOu In."He says, opening a portal

I nod, feeling better already.

"Ok....Just a tip, protect your sons. Especially E!Pap, he may be a target."I say

"ThaNks aNd yOu'Re wElCome. I wIlL oNly TeLl a FeW of YouR wHeReAbOuTs, lIkE yOuR bOyfRiEnDs mAyBe."He says

I limp through the portal with Dream in my arms, ignoring him. The portal shuts but I notice a few changes. For one thing, I've turned human. Another thing, Dream is shrinking. In a blink of an eye, he is a bunny in my arms. He looks around then up at me nervously. I shake my head. Guess this is what he meant. 

"It's ok, we're safe. Just getting protected. Now, let's stick together. I won't risk anything with you. Just don't leave me."I tell him

He nods.

I carry him and wander through the AU, trying to find a place to stay. A safe place. Or anything that could give away where we are and what kind of AU this is. All I do is walk and wander, completely lost. I have no clue where to go either. 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, Killer's POV

I walk through the halls and curiously look around. Can't seem to find Nighty anywhere. Not even Ghastly or Jasper can. I walk about curiously, still trying. I get approached by E!Gaster. I try to go past him but he taps me on the shoulder. He wants something.  And he may know something. I turn and look at him.

"HeLlO thErE."He says

"Hi. What do you want?"I ask

"Do yOU kNoW wHo Is DrEaM'S BoYfRiEnD?"He asks

"I'd say Cross..."I say

"AnD NiGhTmArE's? I'Ll taLk tO CrOsS lAtEr.."He asks

"I'm Nightmare's boyfriend. Why? What happened? What's going on? What did you do?"I ask

"WhAt dId I dO? Oh, yOu'Re wElCoMe f0r iT. AnD cOngRaTs oN tHe reLaTiOnsHip!"He tells me with a smile

I am lost in confusion.

"For what?"I ask

"ThErE wAs SoMe kInD oF iNcIdEnT.  I wEnT bAcK tO mY aNtiVoId t0 fInD ChArLes aNd mAke HiM pAy. InsTeAd, I fInD NiGhtMaRe anD DrEam pOisOnEd aNd DyIng. I hEalEd ThEm, DiSgUisEd Them aNd sEnT tHeM tO a sAfE AU. YoU cAn aSk hIm aBoUt iT wHen yOu sEe hIm. NoW, I gOt tO pRoTeCt mY sOns aS aDvIsEd bY nIgHtMaRE."He explains, then walks away

"But how will I fi-"I say but pause

I find a piece of paper in my hand. On it was  directions saying:CHECK YOUR ROOM>PORTAL IN CLOSET.

I smirk. Maybe he isn't so bad.

"Thanks..."I say, though he is out of sight now

I go to my room and go through the portal. I smile. But little did I know what going through that portal saved me from.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TBC