A few months later

"Where the hell did that portal send Nightmare? We've searched everywhere!"Dust says

"Well, it's technically impossible to search everywhere. The multiverse is huge."Ink says

"I'm going to go search again."Dream says

Dream leaves and the rest hear a rumble. A portal opens and two statues hit the floor. They look to the statues and froze, speechless.

"Eclipse!"Mercy exclaims, hugging one statue

There was a silence.

"I told you she wasn't dead, Era! She's just...trapped. And here she is! With Nightmare! I can sense their auras!"Mercy says, crying tears of joy

"O-okay, Nightmare. That's real funny. I'm glad you're okay but get up now. Say something. We can clean all that stuff off, just like when you met Triton."Killer says, feeling Nightmare's cold cheek

Nightmare didn't respond.

"C-Come on, Nighty. Stop messing with us."Killer says, sitting beside Nightmare

He takes out a knife and starts slicing the cement off of Nightmare's arm.

"You have to be under there somewhere. Jeez, how many layers did they use?"He says, chuckling nervously.

"Killer-"Triton begins

"What?"Killer asks sharply

"That's not the same cement...Mama is in pain from your knife."Triton says

"How the hell do you know that?"He asks

"His aura."Triton says

"He's telling the truth. You're hurting him."Xavior says

Killer drops the knife.

Palette and the other kids enter.

"What happened to him?"Radier asks

"We...don't know."Horror says

"Unclemare seems happy though. His aura is very positive with his family near."Palette says

"Hmm, Eclipse and Nightmare are having their own communication. Eclipse says that since they refused to obey Fate, Fate is trapping them in statues like Fate planned for Dream."Mercy says, pressing her head against Eclipse's chest

"How can you get these messages?"Dust asks

"Her soul speaks volumes through the cement."She says

Killer presses his head to Nightmare's chest to see if he could hear. He heard a soul beating but nothing more.

"This cannot end well...."Ink says

"How come?"Lust asks

"Dream was stuck in stone for more than a hundred years."Blue says

Everyone sat down, watching and wondering what to do. The lights start flickering and the walls trembled.

"What's going on?"Blue asks

"They're free!"Mercy cheers

"What do you mean?"Horror asks

"This is Nightmare's castle and is connected to him. They found a way to leave their statue prisons and use the connections to be free. They just can't leave the property."Mercy says

Horror was picking at his hole and a curtain smacked his hand despite the window not being open for a breeze. He jumped and felt an invisible hand healing the head wound again.

"Sorry....Nervous habit."He mumbles

Era felt someone hugging her and smiles. Then each of the them felt somehow touched by Nightmare or Eclipse, physically feeling invisible hands on them or an object touching them. Mercy and Killer both got blankets wrapped around them. A hole opened in the ceiling. Cross looks up at it.

"Uh, since when was that there?"He asks

Then as soon as those words left his mouth, a floorboard sprung up, shooting Cross through the hole before the ceiling closed and the floorboard went back into place. X!Chara bursts out laughing.

"Who pulled that trick?"He asks

"Eclipse says she did....She doesn't like my AU's version of him...No, it was not them. It was their AU of them. Hmm, well he did seem like just as much of a pain in the ass."She replies, then speaks to Eclipse with the aura giving messages.

"Wait, so we got wait a fucking 500 years for them to be freed?"Fell asks

"And we could only communicate through auras? And by we I mean like two or three of the group?"Dust says

"ApPaReNtLy."Era says

"I know a solution! It may work!"Palette says

He runs to his room and comes back with a board and a triangle piece.

"I found this in another AU and found it cool so I brought it here. Gothy says that it's a Ouija Board. Maybe this could help them communicate."Palette says, putting it a short distance from the statues

The triangle starts moving.

"Eclipse says hello to Era. She was already a statue for a decade and Fate messed up the timing in the cement's code, so they're only trapped for fifty years. She'll be out in forty since she has some time served."Palette says

They sigh, finding some relief in that.

"Nightmare is handling some demons while being trapped. Fate provoked them and was hoping when he is freed that the demons take over....making him evil. But being trapped for so long will provide time to keep them at bay and get rid of some....Unclemare doesn't want anyone hurt."Palette says, reading what the triangle indicates

Everyone took turns asking questions or trying to communicate with Nightmare and Eclipse, the board sliding to give answers. Mercy was overjoyed to have her lover within reach.

Killer only stared at Nightmare's statue, feeling so many feelings but overall empty. It hurt inside him but he was almost numb and empty on the outside, not knowing how to react. He snuggled close to Nightmare's statue as everyone left to make plans for the future. He stayed there for days, weeks even, just wanting to stay near Nightmare. No matter the tugs or pleas from others, he stayed there. Nightmare was concerned. He set aside his demons and tried to get Killer to go and do something, but Killer didn't budge either. Nightmare got an idea and decided to use the idea, even if it upset the both of them.

A few hours later, Killer was taking a nap beside Nightmare's statue when he got a tap on the shoulder. He looks over and sees Color sitting beside him.

"Hey buddy!"He says

"What the hell are you doing here?"Killer snaps

"Your phone called me here. I see your portal security hasn't improved. There were texts telling me to come here to chat with you. I wasn't expecting a statue of your lover here though....Are you alright?"Color says

"I haven't been on my phone...You have real nerve coming here. And don't call me buddy."Killer snaps

"Are you alright? You look terrible. The texts said that you haven't eaten or moved lately. That's really concerning....Can you explain what happened?"Color says, trying to calm the cranky skeleton that he cares deeply about

"I don't have to tell you anything. I have my Nighty right here."Killer mutters, resting his head on the shoulder of the statue

Color only grew more concerned for him.

The Ouija Board started to shake, the triangle moving. Color was alarmed but Killer calmly leans forward to read the message.

"Nighty! You used my phone? To reach him of all people? Why?"He asks

The triangle shifted to yes twice before spelling out HELP YOU. HE IS HONESTLY TRYING TO HELP LIKE A FRIEND.

"But it's Color! He's not my friend after what he did to you!"Killer whines

YOU LEFT ME NO CHOICE AFTER IGNORING EVERYONE ELSE. PLEASE, I AM WORRIED FOR YOU.

"So...Wanna chase me around and let your anger out on me?"Color asks

"No. That would require leaving Nighty."Killer says

The walls and floor rumble and the carpet under them pull the two from Nightmare and Eclipse's statues.

"NIGHTY!"Killer yells, trying to go back

The castle wouldn't let him, shoving him into a room with Color and slamming the door shut. Killer sat and crossed his arms, this being the last thing he wanted to do. Color paced back and forth, trying to think of a way to help Killer. He wasn't going to rant to Color and obviously wasn't going to cry on his shoulder like friends do. He needs a different way to connect with his stubborn, cranky, lost friend. Then he got an idea.

"So....If you don't want to hurt me, why don't you teach me?"Color suggests

"What."Killer says flatly

"Well, you say I'm in the wrong-"Color begins

"Which you are."Killer says

"Well then correct my wrong way of thinking. Teach me the right way. Tell me what I don't know and what's the truth. It may do us both some good."Color says

"You better take notes."Killer says, stretching his arms and neck

Color takes out a notebook.

"Ready when you are."Color says with a grin

Killer goes on to explain everything from the very beginning, making sure Color takes detailed notes and pays attention. He praised and showed his affections for Nightmare at every chance he gets. After many hours, he got to the more recent stuff. Color was shocked and felt terrible for what he and others put Nightmare through, hurting Killer in the process. Color continued taking notes until Killer was done and saw that Killer looked better after letting that out. But ideas were forming in Killer's head.

"I know how to kill time...With a few bodies."Killer says

"Killer, what are you thinking?"He says

"I'm going to kill those who dared hurt my Nighty."Killer says, hopping through a portal.

Weeks passed, months even and nobody heard from Killer. Color used the Ouija Board to communicate with Nightmare, once more getting an understanding of what happened and their relationship. Triton and Xavior kept a close eye on this new arrival. Mercy didn't trust him either.

After a while, Eclipse turned back to herself, free from the statue prison. This indicated only around a decade of time left for Nightmare to be trapped. Still no sign of Killer.

"I'm going to look for him."Color says

Color opens a portal, going through.

After some searches, Color was wandering around OuterTale. He knew that Nightmare would be free not too long from now. Then as he was walking, he heard a yell and finds a gang circling Killer, horribly beaten. Another Nightmare was using tentacles to manipulate his soul and body. Color blasted them all away, leaving Killer laying down.

"Killer!"He exclaims

Killer weakly looks up. He grins.

Color scoops him up.

"What are you smiling about? You're horribly wounded!"Color says

"Took out 2/3 of the listed attackers on Nighty myself!"He says

"Well, I'm taking you back home to Nightmare. He will be free any minute now."Color says

Color heals him and takes him back to the castle. He sets Killer in front of the statue just as a nearby clock struck 5. The cement melted off of Nightmare, revealing his pearly white bones underneath with his bright purple eyes locked onto Killer. Nightmare leapt onto Killer, hugging him.

"Where have you been? Are you okay? Why didn't you come back or call anyone? Did anyone hurt you? What happened, Killsy?"Nightmare asks worriedly

"Nighty, I'm fine. I just-"Killer begins

"You just got me worried sick! And everyone else too! That's what ya did! Now I'm taking you away to make sure you're okay! Thanks, Color!"Nightmare says

"Gah! Nighty!"Killer exclaims

Nightmare carries Killer away to his room. Killer felt his back hit the pillows. Then he felt a spark go off in him and he shivered in reaction. Nightmare noticed the tightness in his clothes. It was like Mercy's and it alarmed him.

"Killer.....Why do you have that body? I told you that you are perfect already."Nightmare says

"I-I don't mean to have it...It's just...a lot to explain. Don't worry about it."Killer says

"Well you owe me an explanation and I'm willing to listen. Can't help but worry about you, Killsy."Nightmare says

"That makes two of us."Killer says

Nightmare chuckles.

"Yeah, guess we're both guilty of secret plans..Some ending better than others..."He says

"Just wanted to protect you."Killer sighs

"Same with my plans."He says softly

"Why all the secrets?"Killer asks

"I....Just.........Whenever I opened up to someone, it seemed like someone would get hurt. Guess old habits die hard...I just don't want anyone getting hurt. Plus I can sleep and see every possible scenario of things going wrong, so I tried to set things up in case any of those scenarios happened...."He says

"How about this. From now on we try to be more open to each other. No more secrets. We can try to share one thing to each other each week. How does that sound?"Killer says

"That sounds nice. Now, where have you been?"He asks

"I made you 66% safer by killing the ones that hurt you. Another version of the gang attacked me before I could continue....Then Color took me back."Killer says

"So....Another me hurt you?"He asks

Killer hesitantly nods.

"Well then, I'm glad Color got you. Now...I'm curious. How is it that both your friends are snitches?"He asks, gently trailing his fingers down Killer's arms

"What do you mean?"Killer asks

"Well, Outer kept visiting to see if you have been found. He kept dropping hints to me about you and tease while you were gone, spilling secrets in jokes. Color didn't hold back. If there's anything we can agree on, it's that you can lose yourself in your rants. He'd come with the notebook you made sure he used and told me about all your lil fantasies, showing the notes. I never knew you planned such a detailed future.~ Oh and then your bunnies put on an adorable show in front of where I was frozen in place.~"He explains, his voice low and almost cooing to Killer as he leans in closer

Killer's face burns up, imagining what they might have told him. Nightmare feels him all over gently. Killer was very sensitive to his touch, especially in his conditions. His soul was pounding and face burning. Nightmare tore his clothes off and looks at him, seeing all the wounds. Killer couldn't move.

"P-Please tell me the door is locked..."Killer says

Nightmare nods, bandaging him and healing him the best he can. Then he rests his head on Killer's chest.

"I know I can't stop you from continuing those plans of yours....But at least try to call or return at some point if you continue. And I could pleasure you to make up for what that other me did."Nightmare says softly

Killer's breath hitched, scenarios spinning through his head.

"Did that catch your interest?"Nightmare asks

Killer nods. Nightmare smiles.

"I'll make sure you love it.~"He coos, kissing Killer's cheek

Killer fainted in minutes after Nightmare started with a few snuggles and kisses since he was sensitive physically and flustered mentally and emotionally before Nightmare started.

A few months go by and everything settles down. The couple opened up to each other more and Killer would call home more when he goes on these self-assigned missions of his. One morning, Nightmare wandered off and after a few minutes realized that he is wearing one of Killer's oversized shirts. He lifts the collar up and sniffs it. It smelled like Killer. Killer walks over, finding it adorable.

"You really like my shirt, huh?"He says teasingly

"Mhm..."Nightmare hums sleepily, not affected by the tease at all

They hear a crash and walk down the hall to see Cross laying on the floor face-down.

"Is he dead or asleep?"Nightmare wonders

"Hopefully dead. I hated his guts. Oh wait, he never had any in any form."Killer says

"Perhaps. His guts were the worst."Dream says from a nearby chair in the living room

"Okay, first of all, fuck you Killer."Cross grumbles, sitting up

"Nope. I have standards."Killer says with a wink and cold glare

"Second, Dream, I thought we were past that."Cross says

"You intentionally used my brother and I for weeks while claiming to be a good person. As far as I'm concerned, you thought wrong. You make claims of change but I don't see action. Show me where that better Cross is instead of the jerk I see."Dream says

"I'll get some breakfast. Try not to kill each other."Nightmare says

Color pops his head in.

"So? How are the lovebirds buddy?"He asks

"We are NOT lovebirds!"Killer says

"Then you don't have pet names?"He asks

"No!"Killer says

"Well ok...But what's that phrase I hear said to kids here? Something night and don't let the bed bugs bite?"Color asks

"Nighty?"Killer says

"Yes, Killsy? You left your knife on the couch if you're wondering where it is!"Nightmare replies

Killer is silent. Dream giggles.

"Don't ever lie to my face again."Color says

"We're a couple with nicknames not birds and pet names!"Killer says

"....So that's a no on the knife?"Nightmare calls in

"Everything is ok! No need for knives."Killer responds

"So? Have you ever gone out for dates?"Dream asks

"No, not really. We'd just improvise at home here with different activities for dates. The farthest we went was stargazing at OuterTale."Killer says

"Aww, how come?"Color asks

Killer looks at him and Dream.

"I'm looking at the reasons why. A date isn't worth the risk of an attack."Killer says

The two caught on.

"Welll..........Now that we're no longer problems, Maybe I could set you up with something nice!"Dream says

Color looks around.

"Wait a second, where did Cross go?"He asks

They look to where Cross was laying to see that he was gone.

"Probably around here somewhere."Dream says with a roll of his eyelights.

"Gah! Get off of me, Cross! Let go!"Nightmare yells

There was a rumble and then tentacles could be seen shoving Cross into a wall, restraining his arms and legs. Once he hit the wall, the tentacles released him and shrank away. Killer glares at Cross.

Nightmare walks out in his corrupted form with a torn shirt belonging to Killer and plate of pancakes.

"Sorry Killsy about the shirt. Cross keeps thinking that turning over a new leaf automatically gives him a right to a second chance with me. And apparently he was dumb enough to think that attacking me in the kitchen was a good idea. Pancakes anyone?"Nightmare says

"What was he trying to accomplish?"Dream asks

"I don't care and don't really wanna know. It failed anyway. All I know is that it included me unable to move and removing clothes. Tore right through the shirt."Nightmare says

Color drags Cross away to have a little chat before Killer attempts to kill him.

Error snatched the shirt from Nightmare, sewing the tears back up. Everyone sat together and ate some pancakes. Ink and Error were actually talking without fighting for once. Blue sat between Horror and Dust, both of them seeming happier with him and chatting. X!Chara watched them all with a grin while the visiting kids talked with Triton, Xavior chatting with Fell and Lust.

Triton looks at his phone while Color sat down to eat. He groans.

"Mom! Cross is photoshopping and posting pictures on the UnderNet!!"He says

"What?"Nightmare snaps

Triton shows multiple photos where Cross edited himself into situations with Nightmare or Dream. Even being in their rooms with certain captions. Nightmare groans and shakes his head.

"That's it! I can't do it anymore like it's okay!"Killer snaps

"I can't either!"Triton says

"I can't fucking do it!"Killer says

"WELL I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, YOU CAN EITHER GIVE UP NOW, OR YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT. BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU, AND WE KNOW YOU CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT US."Color tells Killer, trying to keep him from causing trouble.

"But look at what we're dealing with? There has to be a line somewhere! A line not to be crossed! You gotta ask 'What will we be willing to deal with today?' Not fucking this! Cross can't keep being THIS to my Nighty! Now I'm going to slice some common sense into him!"Killer snaps

There is a ding. Triton checks his phone. He chuckles.

"Mama, he won't be a problem anymore. Someone beat Killer to him."He says

Nightmare looks at the phone to see a picture showing nothing more than a glowing red eye and orange hat, the rest of the face hidden behind a fan. There is a single caption:This liar has been taken under new supervision. Don't worry, Nightmare darling, I'll teach this animal proper etiquette.~"

"Darling?"Killer asks once reading it as well.

"Member of the council named Larissa, Leader of Respect. She usually monitors how people are treated and at least checks for common snese. Firm believer in manners and etiquette or Golden Rules, etc, etc. Uses names like that for anyone she likes. And she is thousands of years older than me so she sees me like a child in comparison."Nightmare says, giggling a bit

"What does that mean for Cross?"Dream asks

"If things go her way, which it probably will, we won't see him for a while. He will be changed next time we see him, I know that much."Nightmare says

"Well, that's good."Dust says, leaning back in his chair

"I'll fix the portal security around here."Color says

Everyone went off to do their own thing. Nightmare noticed Triton poking his pancakes with a fork.

"Something on your mind, Triton? You haven't talked that much. What have you been up to?"He asks

Triton looks around, seeing that they were alone. He slides down until he is beside Nightmare.

"Mama, I'm nearly an adult now. I moved in to my own place and....I have a boyfriend."He says

Nightmare sank into his passive form. Triton looked nervous until he saw a smile on the purple-eyed skeleton's face.

"I see. So that's what the extra training has been for? To impress him? And the questions while I was in stone?"He says

"I wanted to do more than impress. I want to protect and make him happy like you make Killer happy."Triton says

"I see...What's his name?"Nightmare asks

"Jay. He's a good guy! I assure you he's great! He never does anything wrong o-or-"Triton says but pauses when Nightmare holds his hand

"I know, dear. You're good at judging people. I don't doubt you. Whoever makes you feel happy and loved is fine with me. But if he dares hurt you, he has another thing coming. There's always room for you here if you need anything."Nightmare says

"I love you, Mama."He says, hugging Nightmare

"Love you too."Nightmare says

"With the holidays coming, maybe you both could meet! I was thinking of introducing him to my family!"He says

"That sounds wonderful!"Nightmare says

Triton smiles, then gets a call and leaves to see his boyfriend. Nightmare smiles, going to cuddle Killer to calm him down.

It worked.

But they didn't know about the danger lurking and waiting for the right chance to take him.

-TBC-