Encre's POV

Time passes.  Still no sign of Fallacy. I'm getting worried. And Nightmare still hasn't shown up. For all we know, he burned in that fire. But Ghastly doesn't. He keeps hope that his father is still out there somewhere. After all, he got out of a hideout full of fire or self-destructing robots once. Jasper and Suave assured me that everything would be okay. The mutliverse or this new world at least is big and full of the unknown, of course Fallacy would spend time exploring. 

But one day, I woke up to a loud commotion downstairs. I look around my room. At the doorway was a shadowy figure at the height of Fallacy, eyes glowing in the dark hallway and bedroom. I blink, saying nothing. Hope fills me and I think it's Fallacy.

"Mon amour?"I say

In a blink, he was gone. Whoever he was. Ink peeks in.

"Everything okay?"He asks

"Yeah....I think Fallacy was just here."I say, full of hope

"Maybe he is trying to sneak a kiss or bite from you."He says, then leaves

I chuckle, liking this posibility. Less to worry about.

A while later, I heard a louder commotion. I come down the stairs, but stop at the kitchen doorway.

"Suave has been cleaning nonstop around RebornTale. Especially when Fallacy went missing. Encre is upstairs, thinking Fallacy is tricking him to sneak a bite or kiss. Encre doesn't realize he went missing. Jasper left to hunt his dad down. Killer has locked himself in a room at another house, he hasn't left it since we got here. Ghastly went after Jasper."Ink!Pap explains

"Wait, Fallacy is missing?!"I ask, having believed Suave and the others

They all look to see me there, including the puppet Ghastly had hugged in the fire, which seemed alive.

"..........Aww fuck!"Dust says, realizing I heard

I recall Ghastly and Jasper had planned to go find their fathers even if Killer or Suave said no.

"I'm gonna go help Jasper!"I say, turning to leave

A hand grabs my hand.

"No! Encre, don't!"A beloved voice says

I turn and look at the living puppet in shock.

"Wait, Nightmare? But how?!"I ask

"It's a long story to sort out. I will tell you some other time. But right now, I have a promise to keep. You will not leave. You will stay here, safe and sound even if it is the last thing I do! Fallacy wanted you to stay safe, as well as Suave and Jasper. I promised him that if something happened, I would keep them safe. I gave him my word and I never break my word or promise. And, I'm sorry to say this, but he isn't himself. He isn't in control. Not anymore. Now, go upstairs, join Blue and Palette. Everything will be okay. I just gotta round ya guys up."Nightmare says

I look at him with questions, but sigh and nod. I go upstairs, but listen in.

"What happened to M'Lord Fallacy?"Suave asks, popping out of a closet

"His files...code...being, whatever you can call it to understand, got changed. Hacked. Now, only some Blood Moon file is activated for him and he is being controlled to follow commands of the enemy."He explains

I cover my mouth and gasp. The worst scenarios went through my head. I know very well what a Blood Moon is like. Heck, the last time he was under the influence of the Blood Moon, he kept biting and sucking blood from my wounded ribs. But what if this time he doesn't know me or can't recognize our friends under the influence? Anger boiled in me as well. He is being used as a pawn. A bad monster. Something he is not, but cannot control now when under Blood Moon's influence. It sickened me that someone would use him like that. I listen as Nightmare describes it. They treated him like an animal!

 I shake my head and go to Palette's room, where Blue sat there with him. Goth sat beside Palette. He shuts the door and locks it. 

Only hours later, in the middle of the night, did chaos unfold. Violent noises boomed outside. Suave, who had joined us, ran out with Blue to see what was going on. Palette shuts the door again and locks it. I frown, uncertain on what to do. Goth pressed against Palette, scared as the violent, dangerous, chaotic yells or noises that grow outside. The door gets busted in and the lights go out. A silhouette comes in, a hiss filling the room. Goth leaps in front of me, holding his scythe.

"You won't hurt Mr. Encre! I won't let you!"He snaps

Then, before he could move, he gets clawed across the face, slashed by his own scythe and bitten roughly. He screams in pain. He gets tossed out the window.

"Gothy!"Palette shouts, leaping out the window

I get my knife out, ready to fight. I know how to fight with it and am used to getting bitten. But one thing stopped me.

The lights flicker back on.

I drop my knife.

There stands Fallacy, staring at me with no pupils and baring his fangs like a wild animal. Something I know he is not. 

For a while, he just stood there, staring. Then he starts talking in the third person, something he never does. Then he grabs me by the neck, crushing it in his grip.

"Monsieur, please.....I know you're in there. I know you hear me. You are not a pawn or tool that the asshole who took you is using you as. I love you....Please....Come back...."I say

He tightens his grip on my neck, making me scream, clawing at his arm to be released.

Part of me IS scared. I dunno what he may do and he is unpredictable like this. Plus he is being controlled so that adds another factor to it. But I had hope for him to break free. I know he is strong and not the type to be manipulated. I know he wouldn't hurt me. He is my amour....Just not in the right mind. I will try to bring him back. He recognized me under the Blood Moon once, he can do it again.

"Monsieur, it's me! Encre! Fallacy! Listen! Calm down and listen! Please let me go! Snap out of it! I need you, but not like this! Fallacy, monsieur! Please!"I plea

Fallacy smiles and pulls me closer.

"Plan must be done, bye bye painter."Fallacy says

"S'il te plait mon amour! J'ai besoin de vous!"I cry

(*Please my love! I need you!)

He froze. His face glows a bright yellow. His pupils faintly come back. I smile. 

"I'm your amour? You love me?"He asks

"Yes! I do! Honest! Monsieur, you make me feel so happy when I'm with you, please don't make that time end. I know you can beat that jerk. You aren't the kind who likes to be controlled or bossed around."I say, trying to get something in him to click

His pupils fade. He pulls me close and put his fangs near my neck, just like Horror had. Fallacy had told me the difference between deadly or friendly bites, this was a deadly one. I start quivering, my fear showing.

"Hey! Fallacy!"Nightmare shouts

Fallacy looks at him, frowning. He drops me.

"Tim said you were dead!"He snaps

He comes over to Nightmare and quickly tears one of his arms and legs clean off.

"Nightmare!"I shout

Fallacy picks him up by his other leg and begins to slowly pull out a thread.

"Well then you know he isn't very honest. Now, I kept my promise and my word, you better do hell of a good job of keeping yours."Nightmare says, shoving the code at him

It instantly is absorbed into him. He pauses, processing it all. He groans, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. He releases Nightmare and he hits the ground. He opens his eyes, his pupils back.

"Nightmare....? Oh my stars! Nightmare! I am so sorry! I-I didn't mean to I swear! I-I-I-!"He exclaims

"Shut up. I know. Don't apologize for something out of your control silly. Besides, you have other things to deal with."Nightmare says sharply but with a kind tone

"Nightmare!"I shout, rushing over

I hug him close and tight. I weep and cry, thanking him for what he did but apologizing for getting him involved. If I handled things better, or did something, maybe he wouldn't be so hurt. He shakes his head.

"Encre, I was a goner from the start. Nothing could be done. But, I have Fallacy here to thank for giving me the chance to see those I care about one last time."He says

"Please don't go, Nightmare! Please!"I cry

Ghastly would be soul broken at the news of his father really being gone.

"I'm afraid that's out of my control. But....Can you guys do me a favor?"He asks

"Sure! Anything!"I say

"Name it!"Fallacy says

"Don't let Kills know that I'm gone. That would break him. Tell him that I went to fix a problem and will be back soon. And if he asks about why I'm not this anymore, just say I left this puppet to have better chances of accomplishing it."He tells us, in tears from the pain

"OK!"We say

"Welp, it was fun while it lasted. Au revoir, chers amis."He says

(*Goodbye, dear friends)

I keep crying. I feel the puppet go limp like a....well, puppet that wasn't possessed. He was gone. I stop crying and realize how peaceful it got outside. I feel a hand on my shoulder as I release the puppet. I glance over my shoulder to see Fallacy there. He drops to his knees and just starts sewing the puppet back together. He sighs once done. 

Then he leaps out the window, flying into a nearby forest. I have no clue what he is doing, but I wanna find out. That's what lovers do. Worry and check on each other. I get a coat on, then go out the window and run after him. I see him dive down and land in a forest center. I slowly approach him.  He is trembling as if he was crying.

"Fallacy?"I say softly

He turns around, tears going down his face. He darts over. He checks my neck where he marked me. He wraps his arms around me.

"Encre! I am so sorry! I didn't want to hurt you! I didn't want to hurt anyone. I would never wish to do that! I swear! I-!"He cries

I cover his mouth before he could go on anymore.

"NO!"I say

"Mm?"He says, muffled by my hand

"Don't even start that! Never apologize for something you can't control! You're not the bad guy here, Fallacy. You don't need to apologize. You were used by the one who should be apologizing. That's all there is to it. I know you wouldn't hurt your friends or me on purpose."I tell him

He cries still.

"They know as well, trust me."I say

I wipe his tears.

"Now, I'm gonna lower my hand okay? I don't wanna hear any apologies when I do, ok?"I tell him

He nods.

I lower my hand and the moment I did, he kisses me. My face burns up. He backs up.

"My apologies. I don't know what got into me."He says

"It's alright."I tell him

He sits down. I sit down beside him. He hands me a sketch book.

"Drawing helps you let stress out, right? Draw."He says

I nod and start drawing. I feel his hands slither around my body as I do so. 

"I didn't hurt you too badly....Good."He says

I glance at him. Guilt filled his eyes.

"I can't believe I nearly killed you."He whimpers

I set the book down and hug him.

"I'm just glad that you're okay, mon amour."I say

"Mon amour? Where did that come from? We are friends."He says

That's when I realize that maybe his memories are locked up by the jerk who used his Blood Moon side. He is in no state to learn that he forgot our relationship right now. I'll just go along with it. I don't want him to stress out. We fell in love once, we can do it again.

"Oh, whoops. Just wondering, what do you recall?"I ask

He explains everything he knows, which was simply basic knowledge. Who he is, where he is, where he is from, who is his family, who are his friends and who he doesn't like. But nothing in detail, very vague.

"I'm sure you'll remember more soon, don't worry."I say once he starts stressing about the blanks in his memory

"What are we gonna do now?"He asks

"Hmmm, do what Nightmare asked."I say

"And what about Ghastly? There's no way we can leave him with that banana uncle who puts him in ovens."He asks

"We'll watch over him. With Killer of course. There is no way we are leaving that child with Dream. Besides, I can see Jasper having fun hanging with him."I say

He smiles.

"Let's go back then!"He says excitedly

We head back. The others approach us, hugging us. Fallacy apologized to them and they forgave him, after the fifth apology and them telling him he didn't need to apologize. They asked about Nightmare and we said what he wanted us to tell them, that way if Killer asks them, it's the same story.  Goth and Palette come over. Fallacy broke down crying, remembering what he did very clearly. He pulls Goth close, hugging him.

"I AM SO SORRY!"He cries

"Mr. Fallacy, I will not accept your apology. It isn't your fault and you know it. I know you weren't in control and I know what kind of person you are. You aren't the type to hurt us. No need to apologize."Goth says sincerely

Palette agreed.

Ghastly runs over and tackles Fallacy to the ground.

"YOU ARE OKAY!"He cheers

Fallacy looks at the child in shock. Ghastly hugs him tighly, smiling at him. Pure, sweet and adorable innocence radiating from him.

"I already know what Papa told you from Mr. Killer! Don't even start the apology! You're awesome, Mr. Fallacy! Nothing can change that!"He says

"You have no clue how much that means to me kid."He says

"Can we stay together? You can stay in the same house as Killer and I! That includes Jasper, Encre and Suave!"Ghastly says, already using the puppy dog eye trick

"Woah woah woah! Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Nephew!"Dream says, snatching him

"What?"Ghastly says

"You may stay with me. Are you sure staying with them is a good idea? Especially after what that bea........thing did? He attacked us! How can I leave you under his care? And Killer is a whole other issue."Dream says, shooting a glance at Fallacy

HE NEARLY CALLED FALLACY A BEAST! But thing is just as insulting!

Fallacy bows his head. I wrap my arms around his arm to show my support and comfort. 

"He just never learns!"Ink says

We glance at each other.

"Do you slap him or should I?"He says

"Pick straws?"Palette suggests

"What the heck guys?"Dream asks

"What part of he was hacked don't you get, Dream? He's apologizing for something he couldn't control. Another thing Dream, you are not innocent either. Remember who was there to save and protect Nightmare and who did not!"Blue says

Everyone made it clear who was on Fallacy's side. Some even summoned weapons, blocking Dream as he tried to get near Fallacy. 

"I think they are more trustworthy than you at caring for my cousin."Palette says, painting some paint with a roller over Dream's feet to keep him in place

"Are you sure?"Dream asks

That question was rewarded with a slap from Ink, shove from Palette, spray from Suave, and many angry glares or comments. Ghastly scurries over to us, hugging Fallacy again. This gave Fallacy some confidence. He stops Jasper from charging at Dream for being so rude to his father. He stands in front of Dream with a smirk, his fangs showing proudly.

"I promise to take good care of Ghastly. He is a good kid and I'd never let anything happen to Nightmare's family. Trust me, you won't find Ghastly in an oven.......Correction, you won't find him in an oven again. I get that your nephew is sweet, but he shouldn't be baked as a sweet pie, Dream."He says

Jasper whoops in support of his father. 

"Let's go!"Ghastly says

Fallacy scoops Ghastly up and follows Killer to their home. Suave and Jasper follow with me. Killer set rooms up and Ghastly decorated them with drawings he made of us, which were adorable. Suave over the next few days started doing what is normal for him. Cleaning. He cleaned anything and everything he could. Killer got busy, running errands. He would be gone for days at a time. We didn't mind or question it. He has his own plans, that's alright. Suave did chores and had his silly moments. 

Like when he discovered the new technology.

"Ghastly! The strange box is growling again!"Suave shouts one day

"Which one?"Ghastly asks while he colored with me

"The big one to the bottom right of the sink!"Suave says

"That's the dishwasher! It's working on some plates I put in it!"Ghastly says

Suave peeks in.

"What?"He says

"A dishwasher. It is a machine where you can load dishes, cups and silverware into it with soap. Then press a button and it cleans it for you."Ghastly explains

"So what do I clean while it does that?"Suave asks

"Whatever you want. But be careful what you put in, the shelves can break from too much weight and not everything fits in."Ghastly says

"And the humming black box above the.....oven and stove?"He asks

"Oh, that's a microwave. It heats up food. Jasper is making popcorn for some cartoons later."Ghastly says

"Ah, I see."He says, going back into the kitchen

A few minutes later he was yelling that the kitchen is attacking him. Turns out he was leaning over the toaster to clean the counter and some pieces of toast hit him in the head. It took a full 15 minutes to calm him down. 

Then there was TV issues. Ghastly explained to Jasper and I what it was and how it worked. But Suave did not know. So when a cartoon appeared, he thought that the characters were trapped and lunged at the tv. We pull him back and explain what it truly was. It was kinda funny and the kind of thing that we look back on and laugh about. 

Fallacy starts cooking meals for us. I had flashbacks to that weird sight, especially after Error made an apron exactly like the one Fallacy wore. But let's just say he needs help. Sure, he never puts a kid in the oven, but Shino has to come over a few times with a fire extinguisher or with friends to explain what these strange inventions do or how to use them. Ink gave him a recipe book. He considered us good friends to this day. 

But over the weeks, Ghastly's mood changed. Killer becomes more controlling. He didn't want Ghastly outside, doing certain things or many tasks. Though he was "too busy" to be around, he wanted Ghastly to be just about isolated from the world. None of us would allow that though. Fallacy gave him the benefit of the doubt, maybe Killer went into protective parent mode since Nightmare isn't around. Nightmare of course has not come. Ghastly still believed Nightmare was alive. He was confident in how strong his father is and that he will be here soon. But as the days went by with him seeming in house arrest by Killer. 

I felt bad for him.

I start taking him outside to paint, taking the shouts from Killer when he'd find us breaking the don't go outside rule.

"Well I am sorry, Mister Dissapearances, but I won't let this child get blocked from doing the common things of having a childhood or going outside and having fun. We can protect him. But you can't cage him like a bird."I said

"We'll talk about this later."Killer says

We never did.

Fallacy and Suave days later did something similar. They proved to Killer that we could handle it by teaching Ghastly how to fight or defend himself a bit. Jasper would drag him outside to play.

Weeks or monhs later, he starts making voice recordings on a recorder like one Peridot on Steven Universe had. I was getting him ready for bed. He goes to his mirror like he usually does every night. He decoratesit with reminders or pictures of his loved ones. Like painting with me, play with Jasper, train with Suave and Fallacy as reminders. At the very top with heart stickers was a post it with Killer's name and a labeled photo of his father, Nightmare. He kisses the picture of Nightmare, then said something new.

"Mr. Encre? Do you think Mister Killer hates me now?"He asks

I rest my hands on his shoulders.

"No. Why would you think that?"I ask

"He completely ignores me now. Whenever he comes back, he avoids spending time with me or even talking to me. Then he rushes back out for some unknown task. He won't let me do anything. I get he is trying to protect me but that doesn't mean he has to isolate me or cut himself off from me. Then there is the fact that it might be negative correlation between him and his fears. Papa is still not back yet and Mr. Killer gets very worried when he doesn't know where Papa is. He once said that I look almost just like a lil version of Papa, besides my eye marks. I have purple eyes and can summon tentacles after all. Now he sees me and could be reminded of missing Papa. Could that be causing him to hate or shun me?"He explains

My soul sank, hearing him think he is a problem to Killer.

"Awww, Ghastly. I'm sure it isn't like that.  He's just busy. I'm sure he would love to spend time with you."I say

"What does he do?"He asks

"I...Dunno. He doesn't seem to talk to anyone anymore."I tell him

He glances up at me, then smiles.

"Well it's nice to know that I'm not the only one.....Maybe he isn't doing it out of hate."He says

"Course not."I say

"Thank you, Encre. Thank you and Jasper and Mr. Fallacy and Mr. Suave for agreeing to stay. I dunno what I'd do without staying with you bunch. Everything you all have done make me really happy and you feel like family to me."He says

"Awww!"I say, hugging him

"You are very welcome!"I tell him

He giggles, then I tuck him into bed.

The next few days were happier moments or voice recordings. He was more playful and like the happy child he is. He found some of Nightmare's old clothes in a box in the attic. It was from Nightmare's younger days apparently, long before we ever got here or this ever happened, before he became a were-octopus. They are big on him, but he loved wearing them, being reminded of his father.

He even snuggles me once.

One day, he wore one shirt that drooped over his arms. He hops around happily. He was using his imagination, dancing around, swaying his arms, curled up in the corner cuddling the sleeves and stuff. It made him feel closer to his father. One way or another, he will find a way to brighten the day.

"Mister Encre! Look! Look!"He says, hopping up and down, swinging his oversized sleeves above his head

I gaze at him. He smiles.

"I'm Little Papa! I am strong, smart, honest and kind! I'm very loyal and one of the best family members or friend! And I only get better and become one of the best fathers ever! It may not have been great all the time, but I was strong, determined and had peserverance! I never let anything stop me!"He says, smiling and summoning some tentacles to lift him up to seem taller

I smile.

"That seems very accurate! Good job!"I say

"The other good father is hovering right behind you....Again. Hello, Mr. Fallacy!"He says

I turn around to see Fallacy hovering slightly above the kitchen table in a position where he lays on his belly in the air, his wings flapping softly. He has his head resting on his hand, gazing at me with a grin. He seems dazed, as if deep in thought. He sighs softly, his gaze not leaving me.

"Mr. Fallacy?"Ghastly says

He doesn't answer. Ghastly lines up his gaze.

"Oooh! Hehe, I see why he is so dazed again."He says

I smile a bit.

Jasper sees the situation. He flies up and blows an airhorn near Fallacy's head. Fallacy yelps in surprise, his wings closing and he topples down off the table and onto the floor.

"Are you okay?!"I ask him

"Uggggh......."He groans, sitting up and rubbing his head

I kneel down.

"Mon am-I mean, Monsieur? Are you ok?"I ask

He looks at me and his face burns up.

"Y-Yeah....I'm okay."He says

"Father, you were in lala land watching Encre again."Jasper says

"And the horn was from where?"He asks

Jasper shows the air horn.

"It's one of the only ways to snap you out of it."He says

Fallacy sighs and shakes his head. I stand up again. I feel a tug at my wrist. I glance and it's a lil tentacle. I turn and see Ghastly there, looking up at me as if he had been in deep thought and had tears near his eyes.

"Ghastly? What's wrong?"I ask, picking him up

"WHO DARED MADE YOU CRY? I WILL UNLEASH MY INNER LOKI AND DESTROY THEM WITH CHAOS!"Jasper declares

Fallacy leans over, wiping Ghastly's tears with a hand softly.

"I was remembering things I learned about Papa.......Uncle Dream says that Papa used to be an evil freak that destroyed everything, killing anyone who got in his way. He says Papa was the worst of the worst and a wild abomination that was a nuisance with a stone for a soul. But.....He never was like that from what Papa's friends say. And if he was so bad, why is he so nice and have such a kind soul? People don't change from good to bad overnight......But what if, I become like Uncle Dream's version of Papa? What if I become like bad Papa? I wanna be like real Papa.....I don't wanna be a nuisance. But....What if Papa could see that I am becoming like that and left to avoid seeing what I would cause? What if his mission was to avoid me? That may explain why Killer is shunning me."He explains

"AH! A TWO FOR ONE?! COOL! FATHER, I AM GOING TO UNLEASH CHAOS ON MR DREAM AND MR KILLER! I WILL BE BACK BY SUNRISE!"Jasper says, running off

Suave peeks in while sweeping.

"Why is dear Ghastly crying?"He asks

"He fell into the what if pit."Fallacy says

"Oh dear, I'll bake some cookies."Suave says

"Make sure it doesn't growl or so-called attack you again."Fallacy teases

"M'Lord, that is not funny."Suave says

We go to the living room and sit on the couch.

"Ghastly, none of that is true. Uncle Dream is just spewing rude and false opinions about your father's past. Listen to his friends, especially the ones in his gang. They'll tell you the truth. You're right, people don't change overnight. Ghastly, you won't become that version of Papa. You're too good of a child. You have many traits like your good Papa. And I am sure you will stay that way. You can't change to someone you're not after all. And your father did not leave you because he saw bad in you. He is trying to do good for you. He loves you very much and wants to do what is best for you. If anything, he'd be here and making sure you stay off that path if he saw you going down the wrong one. And don't worry about Killer, he is being silly at this point."I say

"Yeah. You're a good kid. Your father thought very highly of you. You'll be fine. And if anyone says otherwise-"Fallacy says

"I'll whack them with the nearest object like Encre's grandma!"Suave shouts

"And Jasper will unleash chaos onto them. Just send them to us and we'll handle things."He says

Ghastly nods.

"Thank you.....That means a lot...."He says

Later we had cookies. Jasper came in and put Dream's crown thing on Ghastly's head. It slid a bit but managed to stay on his head.

"You're the real positivity!"Jasper says

"What did you do with Killer?"Suave asks

"Throw tomatoes at him and told him that there is something called quality time to spend with, ya know, PEOPLE YOU LOVE."He says

A few days later, Ghastly came to me with an envelope labeled Mr. K with a heart to seal it.

"I've noticed that Mr. Killer seems down lately. Can you give this to him? If I try, he is just gonna rush off out of nowhere."He says with sincere care and a bit of sadness in his voice

I nod.

"Sure, sweetie."I say, taking the envelope

He smiles, then goes upstairs to bed. Hours later, Killer arrived without a word. It was 2AM. Later than the curfew he agreed on for everyone's safety:12:45(pushed back from 10 for Fallacy and Jasper :3).

"My, my, someone has been out late."I say, turning a light on. 

He looks at me and sighs. Fallacy drops down behind him.

"Breaking your own rule, huh? And boy, don't you hate it when we break them? Hope this doesn't happen again."Fallacy whispers to him

Killer shook like a chill went down his spine. He nods. Fallacy goes to tuck Jasper into bed.

"What's that?"Killer asks

He notices the envelope I hold. He comes closer, curious.

"Just a gift for you from the CHILD you have ignored. He saw you have been UPSET and wants to cheer you up, even though you haven't been the NICEST to him. Now, you are gonna take this envelope, see what's inside, LOVE IT, thank Ghastly for it and SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH HIM. He looks up to you just as he does to his father and has been hurt by your lack of spending time with him or seeming to want to be near him. Quit it and make him feel loved and happy with you or we are gonna have our own lil talk."I say, shoving the envelope into his hands

I won't allow this child to be shunned and be breaking his own confidence down with what ifs about Killer if I have anything to say or do about it. He looks at me and nods.

The next morning, he spent 5 minutes with Ghastly. That's it. FIVE. MINUTES. Ghastly seems happy in that time but after, seems down again. He says it's an improvement at least. Yeah, that talk I warned him about? We had it. He was hanging from a giant rose I grew all night. I watched and made sure of it. 

Then one day, everything would change.

Ghastly just finished another voice recording and comes over to me.

"Hello Mr. Encre. How are you? Oh, wait, pretty good I assume."He says with a smle

"Bonjour, Ghastly. Em, yes, I'm good."I say

I smile at him, feeling Fallacy hugging me from behind. This has grown normal.

"May I go outside to play?"He asks

"Hmm..."I think on it

"Oh come on, love. Let him. He hasn't gone outside or anything in so long. He should have some fun. It won't be so bad."Fallacy says

"But what about Killer?"I ask

"I will handle him."Fallacy says

"Sure, go ahead."I say

"Yay!"He cheers, running outside

While he plays, I feel Fallacy tighten his grip on me.

"Encre, there is a surprise up in your room.~"He says, then releases me

I look at him. He gestures upstairs. I go up to my room and find dozens of paints, sketchbooks, brushes, canvases, markers, crayons, colored pencils, pencils, and other art supplies in my room.

"Suave and Jasper got you it with me. Since you lost all your previous art stuff in the castle."He says

I look at him, beaming with joy. 

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"I say

"Don't thank me yet. There's something else."He says

I glance around and see a box with a big red bow on my bed. What did he do?

I unwrap and open the box to find pictures inside. They were paintings....Of us. All of us in our world. My grandma, Azula, Azure, Rufous, Classique, Poussière, Felicia,Charlos, Fibi, Fallacy, Jasper, Suave, all of us. Singular and together. Framed too. I set the framed portraits on my desk and nightstand almost instantly. I love them. At the very bottom of the box, there was a piece of clothing.

"Did you get me clothes?"I ask

"Mhm!~ Put it on."He says

I shrug and take it out. It is an artist's apron. I put it on as asked and tie the waist string. It has pockets and something written on it but I couldn't make it out since it was upside down and backwards when I look down at it. I turn around and Fallacy smiles wider. He comes over and kisses me. My soul races and face burns. He wraps his arms around me and doesn't pull back. 

D-Does he remember? What's going on? WAIT! Did Ink tell him....? Or Jasper? They wouldn't! But what if they did? Does he know? Or maybe he knows that I've dreamt of that lately....Oh my stars!

He pulls back, leaving me dazed, confused and kinda dizzy.

"Y-You just kissed me...."I say softly

"Yep. I gotta listen to the apron and kiss the cute artist after all."He says with a wink

I black out. When I woke up, Jasper and Fallacy were leaning over me. I laid in bed.

"W-What happened?"I ask

"You fainted after I kissed you."Fallacy says

My face burns.

"TOO MUCH INFO DAD! YOU ARE GONNA MAKE HIM FAINT AGAIN!"Jasper snaps

I just get up while the two bicker. I go down the stairs to find Ghastly coming inside with someone new. I recognized him. He had come up to me while I was grocery shopping, asking if I knew Nightmare. I nod and he smiles, telling me that Nightmare will return and he will have more info soon. Then he left.

But now he's here.

"Bonjour, Monsieur. Comment allez-vous?"He asks me

(*Hello, sir. How do you do?)

My eyes lit up.

"Oh! Bonjour, monsieur! I am good! SO good to see you again!"I say

"You know him?"Ghastly asks

"Of course! He and I are good friends."I say, winking at the other boy

"Ah, yes. Sure are."He tells Ghastly

"Well then did you know he's gonna be my mentor, training me?"Ghastly asks

"I would expect nothing less."I say

Étoile extends his hand and I shake it, but pauses.

"Oh dear! How far have you traveled? You're freezing! Here, let me warm you up!"I say, tugging Étoile away

A few minutes later, Étoile is sitting by a burning fireplace, wrapped in a blanket with a warm cloth on his head. Ghastly eats with him. Over the next few weeks they trained together. Étoile broke all of Killer's rules, actually giving Ghastly freedom and plenty of quality time. They seemed good together. Ghastly's joy increased greatly. Killer didn't seem to like him, mainly since Nightmare chose him to train Ghastly instead. Not like Killer was training or doing anything with Ghastly in the first place. He'd often come home now angry and yelling, making a mess to let anger out. Suave stopped that quickly and we told him to cut it out. Then came the Halloween BBQ.

Fallacy and I were late. It started with him kissing my neck but once he locked the doors and shut the blinds, he tickled me in all my weak spots until I dropped to the floor. Sure we had an hour, but he loses track of time. And I had no idea what he was planning. Last time he made a suggestion we ended up just drawing together or going flying past curfew. NOT THIS!

Once I was down, he started kissing me wherever he could. All over my head and neck, even sneaking up my arm or lowering my sleeves off my shoulders to get there. I was a blushing mess. He bit my neck to freshen the mark and loved tasting my blood. He kept ambushing me with kisses, catching me off guard and making me yelp a few times. Then he made sure I stay quiet by holding me in a kiss, looking at me with hearts in his eyes. My face burns, soul racing. Something told me we are late so I struggled a bit, but soon gave in. When he ended it, I sat up and fix my shirt. He looks shocked and embarrassed at what he did.

"What was that about?"I ask

"I dunno."He says, his face burning

"Why did you do that? Do you love me in that way?"I ask

He shakes his head.

"We're just....g-g-good f-f-f-friends."He says

That seemed painful for him to say. I shrug, he is gonna know at some point. I check the clock and see we were over an hour and a half late! And knowing Suave, he knows how many seconds as well! Heck, he may even know miliseconds!

Fallacy sees this too.

".....Aw shit."He says

We scramble to get outside and sit down. He blamed me but I blamed him. He winks at me with a smirk. The look in his eyes told me this wouldn't be the last time. My face burns. Then Jasper snapped at Fallacy. Ghastly saw my sketches of my dreams, but promised to keep it between us. But hey, by the end of the BBQ I had a date with Fallacy for the next day. It was great. <3

I heard Étoile break the truth to Ghastly, but he took it well. And they became brothers, at least, Ghastly convinced him to be his older brother. We all welcomed him to the family of families. 

Days later, we welcomed Nightmare home under his alias of Allsun. He slowly is regaining memories, but when he met Killer, he was cold at first. He'd warm up later. Nightmare saw the bunk beds Ghastly and I made for the two sons and he read them a story. Everything was good now. He slept in a room beside theirs. I went to my room and look at the pictures of my world's friends and family. Hope fills me, despite Geno finding that our world was erased yesterday.

"We'll see each other again soon. You're out there. I'm sure of it. Just you wait."I whisper, as if they could hear me

Then I tucked myself into bed with Fallacy beside me. I dozed off.

And boy, I was right!

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You know the rest from there. This is the end of this Prequel. But this foreshadows the events in the current Sequel- A Multiverse in Ruins. I'll get to it soon and all will be revealed. Hope you enjoy/enjoyed! :3