Chapter Four

Chapter Summary: The group have to face their deepest desires and their darkest fears
Warning(s): Spoilers for season one of Dead Boy Detectives and season one of The Sandman; AU; references to violence and character death; some sexual content; nonconsensual sexual touching/bondage; aftermath of torture; some descriptions of treatments of wounds; someone buried underground

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She was on her back, in a tiny, cramped space. It was too dark for her to see anything, but she could feel. She could feel the walls pressing in on either side of her, as well as from above and below. A thin scream escaped her lips before she remembered that she couldn't waste what little air she had, and she clamped her lips shut to stop any more sound from escaping.

Slowly, Niko reached up and pressed her palms against the surface pressing down on her. She couldn't raise her hands very far; perhaps only a couple of centimetres above her face. When she pushed against the hard object pressing down on her, it was hard and unyielding. Impossible to move.

She knew what had happened, but she refused to even think the words. If she didn't think them, it couldn't be real. If she didn't acknowledge them, they couldn't be real.

But she couldn't get out. She couldn't push the wooden board off her body. She couldn't scratch her way out. When she clawed at the object pressing in on her, all she did was break her nails and cause her fingers to bleed.

Panic built in her chest, threatening to engulf her. She couldn't breathe; couldn't draw in enough breath. She began panting, gasping for air, trying to draw in more oxygen. She was going to suffocate.

As the long minutes ticked past, the panic rose in her chest until Niko couldn't think. She couldn't reason. All she could do...was scream. Scream and pound as hard as she could on the wooden box pressing in on her from all sides. "Help me! Somebody help me! Please!"

###

Charles found himself standing in Crystal's bedroom. She was sitting on the bed, staring at the marbles she'd taken from David the demon. There was a haunted look on her face when she raised her eyes, focusing on him, and whispered, "What will I learn if I eat these?"

He took a step closer to her, then another, then several more...until he was standing directly in front of her. He reached out and clasped her hands in both of his. "Don't eat them."

She frowned, though didn't pull away from him. "But I have to know."

He freed one hand from hers and reached out, running his fingers through her hair. It was soft against his fingers and he frowned. That didn't feel right. That wasn't right. He shouldn't be able to....

She moved forward, wrapping her arms around him and holding on tight. "I know I need to...remember. But from what I saw already, I don't think I'll like who I was before."

Her breath was warm against his cheek, something else that felt wrong. But he pushed aside those feelings. Crystal was upset...hurting...and she needed his help. He wrapped his own arms around her, hugging her tightly, and whispered, "You don't have to get those memories back. What are they going to change, really? You're not that person anymore. You're you. Crystal Palace."

Her smile was faint, but still there. "I don't know what they were thinking, giving me a name like that."

"It's a good name. For a good person." He sat down on the bed next to her and stroked a hand down her cheek, then leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips.

He could taste it now. He could taste her. She tasted like he thought sweet wine might, and he pressed in and kissed deeper and slightly harder, raising one hand to cup the back of her head.

She responded to the kiss, raising her own hands to grip the front of his shirt and pressing in close to him. "Make love to me," she whispered. "Make me feel real."

"Anything you want." And he meant it.

###

"Were you always interested in astrology? Or was that something you only became interested in when Esther turned you human?"

Monty blinked, looking around in confusion before he focused on Edwin...who was sitting opposite him. In a booth. In a coffee shop. The smell of coffee beans and the tantalising aroma of baking wafted through the air as he breathed in, trying to capture the threads of where they were...and what they were doing here. He didn't remember agreeing to meet Edwin at a coffee shop, or walking to it with the other man.

Edwin's smile was small, but it was still there. "Is your mind somewhere else?" he asked.

"I'm just trying to remember what we're doing here."

"A date. I think you said." Edwin laughed, though it sounded a little forced. "I thought part of going on a date involved asking questions. I asked you about your interest in astrology," he prompted gently, even as he added a spoonful of sugar to his tea and began stirring.

Monty frowned, focusing on the tea, then looked into Edwin's eyes. "You're not supposed to be drinking tea."

"No? Should it be something stronger, then?" The mug of tea changed to a glass of red wine; their surroundings morphed into a restaurant, filled with candlelit tables and people looking into each other's eyes.

A steak was placed in front of Monty and a waitress said, "Enjoy your meal," as she put another steak in front of Edwin, then turned and walked away.

"This isn't real," Monty whispered, staring at the people sitting at the tables all around them.

"It's what you want, isn't it?"

Monty turned back, shifting away slightly when he saw Edwin's eyes had turned golden. His body grew tense and he closed his fingers around the steak knife resting against his plate.

"Relax." Not-Edwin smiled. "I'm not here to fight you. I want to make a deal."

"Who are you?" Monty didn't remove his hand from the knife, instead curling his fingers around it, so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"You don't know who I am? You recognised my brother. Dream. Or didn't your mistress teach you about the rest of the Endless?" Not-Edwin leaned back comfortably and picked up their utensils, beginning to eat their steak. "You should eat your food. There's nothing wrong with it, and it's rude to refuse hospitality."

Monty eyed the steak in front of him distrustfully. "If I eat this, am I going to be trapped here in the Dreaming?"

"Only if you want to be. But really, my realm is so much more fun than my brother's. You'd be better off living there."

Monty looked down at the steak again. He wasn't really hungry, but he was alone, facing the being who was responsible for taking the Cat King. It was better to play along, to get information, until he could figure out where everyone had gone. Letting out a slow breath, he cut off a piece of the steak and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly and mechanically.

Not-Edwin smiled. "There's a good boy."

The food didn't have a lot of taste to it; probably because they were in the Dreaming and the food didn't have any real substance to it. But Monty made himself continue eating for a few mouthfuls, at least, before he asked, "Where's the Cat King?"

"He's in a safe place." Not-Edwin put their head on one side and studied Monty like he was an interesting insect. "Interesting," they said out loud.

"Interesting?" Monty repeated.

The other stood up and circled round behind Monty, ignoring the way he tensed up. "The first time you were turned human, you were absolutely saturated with desire. You were torn between your feelings for Edwin and your need to obey your mistress." They leaned forward and whispered in Monty's ear, "Something's different now. You don't feel desire. Do you feel anything?"

Monty stilled. He stared ahead, his eyes fixed on a far point of the wall. This was a situation he had no control over, and he didn't know where the others were. And Not-Edwin was right. There was something wrong with him.

As those thoughts went through his mind, Monty felt a warm liquid trickle from his nose. He raised a finger and touched the wet spot, then looked at his finger...not surprised to see it was stained with blood.

"Oh. I see." Not-Edwin walked back round into Monty's view. "Do they know you're dying?"

"I'm not dying," Monty muttered.

Not-Edwin waved a hand dismissively. "Of course you are. The spell to turn you human took its toll. The first time, you might have recovered, even if your lifespan would have been less than that of a normal familiar. The spell being cast a second time is too much for your body. You're going to die."

Monty couldn't say he was surprised. Edwin had noticed that his nose was bleeding earlier; and he'd already known the spell would have a cost. He'd told himself that whatever price he had to pay, it would be worth it. At the time, he'd still loved Edwin; as much as a witch's familiar could, at least.

At the time.... But it was different now. When he thought about Edwin, he couldn't feel the same way he had before. Maybe Not-Edwin was right....

Shaking his head, Monty pulled himself out of those thoughts and asked, "What do you want from me?"

"I want to offer you a deal." As they spoke the words, the restaurant scene around them fell away, just like the coffee shop had. But instead of the surroundings changing to another type of setting for a 'date', Monty found himself standing in the middle of a dark dungeon. Against the far wall was a familiar figure.

The Cat King...Thomas...wasn't in a good shape. His wrists were chained above his head, and blood trickled down his skin from where the cuffs were biting into him. There were bruises on his face...cuts and burns covering his bare chest. He was still wearing trousers, but they were ripped and torn; bloodied flesh showed through the holes. He was blindfolded and appeared to be unconscious, although he might have also been pretending to be unconscious.

"He's down by one more life." Not-Edwin whispered the words into Monty's ear, warm breath ghosting over his skin.

"Why are you doing this?" Monty turned to look at the Endless.

They weren't wearing Edwin's form anymore, which was something of a relief. Someone else wearing Edwin's face had felt...wrong. And the golden eyes and the voice; both matched the person Monty knew had taken the Cat King. Of course, he'd figured that out the first moment he'd realised it wasn't truly Edwin seated across from him in the coffee shop.

"The why isn't important," the Endless said. "I brought you here because I want to make you an offer. A proposition." They reached out and stroked their fingers through Monty's hair, tugging on strands of it and forcing his head back, exposing his throat. "Do you want to live?"

"What kind of a question is that? Don't all things who live want to stay living?" Monty was conscious of how vulnerable he was. The Endless' fingers in his hair...his head tugged back to expose one of the most vulnerable parts of his body. But he wasn't scared. He should be. But he wasn't.

Abruptly, the Endless released Monty. "You help me. I'll make sure you live."

"How?" Monty asked.

"You're asking too many questions." The Endless ran his fingers down Monty's chest, scratching lightly. "I just need a yes or no answer from you. Will you help me?"

Monty swallowed, looking towards the chained Cat King before he focused on the Endless. "What do you want me to do?"

The Endless smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."

###

Edwin didn't know how much time had passed. He didn't know how he'd ended up here, in the Cat King's lair. He knelt at the older being's feet, the collar a warm, snug fit around his neck. He looked up at Thomas, drinking in the older being's face, because he hadn't been told to look down or away.

"Good boy." Thomas stroked his fingers through Edwin's hair and leaned forward, lips hovering over Edwin's...almost teasingly, rather than leaning in to kiss him.

Edwin couldn't help it. A needy whine escaped his lips and he whispered, "Please."

"Please what?" Thomas ran his fingers through Edwin's hair, gripping the strands tightly, and tugged back enough to force Edwin to tilt his head back, exposing his throat. "Do you want me to tie you to my bed and fuck you senseless?" he whispered.

The words were wrong. Slowly, gradually, Edwin became aware of just where he was. He remembered where he was. And it wasn't kneeling at the feet of the Cat King, with Thomas holding onto the other end of a leash attached to a collar around his neck.

Edwin raised his hand and closed his fingers around the collar, tugging at it.

The thing wearing Thomas' face narrowed their eyes. "Isn't this what you want?" it asked. "You want to submit to your master...to let him take control."

"You're not him."

"But I can be him." They waved a hand, and Thomas' chair changed into a bed. Edwin lay on the bed, on his back, arms pulled taut and tied to each bedpost. The same had been done to his legs, pulling them apart to a point of being uncomfortable.

The person who wasn't Thomas knelt between Edwin's parted legs and reached down, beginning to stroke his member.

Edwin squirmed, trying to pull his arms and legs free of the ties that bound him. "No!"

###

The coffin was opened.

Niko blinked rapidly, gasping in deep breaths of air, squinting at the bright light that hit her in the face. It took several moments for her eyes to adjust to the sudden bright; to be able to see more than a mere outline that reached a hand out to help her out of the coffin.

She was standing in the middle of a forest and as she looked up at the person who'd just saved her, her eyes widened and then filled with tears. "Dad!" She moved forward and flung her arms around him, hugging tightly.

"Niko." His arms came up to wrap around her, enfolding her in a warm embrace. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too," she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning into him.

He tightened his embrace and kissed the top of her head. "What are you doing here?"

"I...didn't come here on my own." Her eyes widened and she took a step back, even though she didn't want to leave her father's arms. "I need to find them...!" she said fretfully. "I have to find my friends. Edwin, Charles, Monty. We were looking for someone...."

"Who?"

"The Cat King. Thomas," she added. "He sometimes looks like a cat, and sometimes he looks like a man." She bit her lip. "I know my friends care about him, but I was stuck here in the Dreaming, so I don't know their exact relationship." Apart from what Charles had revealed, of course, which had been enough for her to assume that there was a relationship of some kind between Edwin and the Cat King. "Have you seen him?" she asked quickly.

"No. I don't believe so," he said. "Of course, I've seen a lot of different creatures here, so perhaps I have seen him and not realised." He held a hand out to her. "Why don't I help you look for your friends?" he suggested.

Niko gave him a bright smile, feeling a spark of happiness for one of the first times since being possessed by dandelion sprites, and put her hand into his. His rings were a solid constant against her palm as they began walking, side by side, away from the spot where she'd been buried alive.

###

Crystal bit his neck.

Charles winced, his eyes flying open, and stared up into her eyes. She was leaning over him, hands resting on either side of the bed, and the smile she wore was predatory. "You fell asleep." There was a bright red spot of blood on her lip, and her tongue flicked out to lick it away.

He stared at her dumbly, his neck stinging where she'd bitten him. "That hurt."

"We're in the Dreaming, darling." She leaned in and kissed his neck, right where she'd bitten him. "I can make things feel really good for you." Her fingers slipped between his legs, ghosting along his member, before she suddenly and abruptly squeezed it. Hard. "Or I can make things really painful for you."

He pulled back from her touch, scrambling as far as he could go before his spine hit the headboard. "You're not her!"

She rose up slowly, shedding her clothing like a snake shedding its skin. "I can be her, Charles. I can be anyone you want me to be." Her voice dropped to a low, sultry whisper.

His neck was stinging where she'd bitten him, but he tried not to show how much that had hurt. "I don't want anything from you," he whispered.

"Really? But you seemed so into it only a few minutes ago." She pouted.

Charles' whole body was tense as his mind worked frantically. The last thing he remembered was leaving the hut with the Corinthian in and then.... "What the hell happened to all of us?" He shook his head and quickly reached behind him. Relief stabbed through him when he felt his pack on his pack, and he opened it without taking his eyes off her. He pulled his bat out and held it protectively in front of him.

She paused, tilting her head. "You don't want this?"

"Not like this. You're not her."

"But you can't even feel her." She stepped closer to him. "I can make you feel things like you're still alive. All of those things you wanted to experience before you died? I can help you experience them now," she whispered.

The bat wavered in his hands as he thought about the words, about her promise. He'd died before he'd been able to experience any kind of life. He hadn't even been able to have a first kiss. The first kiss he'd had was something he couldn't even feel.

She placed her hands on the bat and gave him a seductive smile. "Let me make you feel good. Let me make you feel."

He closed his eyes and let her kiss him.

###

He couldn't see anything. His face was covered, leaving him blinded and helpless. His whole body ached...throbbed. He had no idea what his captor wanted from him, other than to cause pain and keep him captive.

Thomas might not have been able to see anything, but he could hear. He heard his captor talking to Esther's familiar; to Monty. And he heard Monty responding; willing to help his captor in whatever they were trying to do.

He couldn't see anything...but he could feel when someone approached him. His body tensed up as he braced for pain, or for another death. He wasn't a stranger to pain. He wasn't even a stranger to torture. But this constant pain, with no real hope for an end, was taking a toll on him. He was forced to stand on tiptoe, stretching his whole body painfully. Even when he was so exhausted from the pain and lack of food or water, he couldn't sleep more than a snatch of a few minutes at a time. As soon as his body relaxed into something approaching sleep, the chains pulled his arms taut, or he slumped to a point where he couldn't breathe properly.

Something cool and wet touched his lips and Thomas flinched back as much as the chains would allow, before he realised it was only water. He opened his mouth and drank greedily, then made a tiny sound of protest when the cup was pulled away from his lips.

"If you drink too much, it'll make you sick," Monty's voice whispered. "The Endless is gone. I told them I'd stay here and keep watch over you. I figured out how to...manipulate the Dreaming. At least enough to create, even if I can't break your chains."

"Desire," Thomas whispered. "That's who they are."

"What do they want from you?"

"They haven't told me anything." Thomas drew in a deep, painful breath. His throat felt raw, like it had been bleeding. The water had tasted good, but it stung his throat on the way down. "You're going to help them?" he whispered, head falling forward.

Monty didn't respond with words, instead reaching up and removing the blindfold.

Thomas blinked several times in the sudden bright light and focused on Monty. "Are you going to help them?" he asked.

Monty didn't respond with words. Instead, he summoned a bowl of water and a washcloth to his hand. Moving forward, he began to wipe the blood off Thomas' chest.

No matter how careful the other was being, the cloth still tugged on the wounds on Thomas' chest and he couldn't help the slight groan that escaped his lips.

"Sorry," Monty muttered. "I can't call anything to unlock the chains, otherwise I'd let you go free."

"It wouldn't be that simple," Thomas said. "Desire is allowing you to make small changes to this place, but they wouldn't leave you here if they thought you could set me free. Or if they thought you would." He breathed out slowly, pushing away the pain, and murmured, "Thank you."

"Edwin came here to save you. You know that, right?" Monty took a step back and looked into Thomas' eyes. "I don't know where he is right now, but you're going to get out of this."

Thomas wasn't sure Monty was right. He believed that Edwin was trying to find him. After all, he'd seen firsthand how tenacious the man was. But if Edwin could get to him before Desire completed their schemes? That was something he couldn't be sure of.

For now, though, at least he'd been given a bit of peace.