Chapter Six

Chapter Summary: They reunite with Monty, and Edwin realises there's nothing he can do to help him
Pairings: Thomas (the Cat King)/Edwin Payne; Monty/Edwin Payne; hints of Thomas/Monty
Warning(s): Spoilers for season one of Dead Boy Detectives; spoilers for season one of The Sandman; AU; references to violence; aftermath of torture; character death; references to sexual content and noncon; dubcon
Author's Note: I planned for this to be the penultimate chapter, but it looks like there will actually be two more after this one. Please enjoy!

###

Thomas had assumed, when all had gone quiet and still, that Monty had succeeded in making it back to the mortal world. He'd waited a couple of beats, and when there was nothing but silence, he took advantage of the temporary peace to test his bonds...pulling at the chains that held him fast.

The chains were obviously enchanted in some way, even though they weren't made of iron, or another metal that could harm him. There was discomfort, of course, but there was no searing pain or the stench of burning flesh that came from being bound in that way.

Desire wasn't the first one who'd captured him. They were just the first one to bring him into the Dreaming in order to do so.

There was no give in the chains. Truthfully, Thomas hadn't really expected there to be any. But he had to at least try to get free of the chains.

Still, it was obviously futile and eventually, Thomas slumped in the chains, breathing in deeply...nearly panting. His body stung in most places; throbbed in others. Despite Monty's efforts, the pain from the torture still lingered.

It was somehow worse, not being able to see. Thomas found himself tensing slightly every time he heard a noise, no matter how quiet it was. He was epecting more pain; discomfort at least, even if he wasn't tortured more. And at the back of his mind was the thought that if Edwin was coming to save him...with Niko...the man he loved was going to lose someone he cared about. Again. After having lost her only a short time before.

He wasn't going to be able to free himself. He couldn't stand up to Desire. He'd never truly been a fighter, even though he'd been alive long enough to train in various forms of combat. He could fight, but really only enough to protect himself and his subjects. He was far from a warrior.

Was there something he could do for Monty? Thomas thought about how the young familiar had made it clear, lack of emotions or not, that he didn't want to die. That was why he was doing this...why he was helping Desire. If Thomas could find a way to save Monty's life, maybe the younger man wouldn't follow through with what Desire wanted from him.

A sharp intake of breath brought him out of his thoughts and he couldn't help but tense up. "Monty?"

"I'm back."

"It worked, then?" Thomas asked. "You were able to go back into the mortal world?"

"Yes. But not entirely," Monty admitted. "I could still feel myself here. So the Dreaming didn't loosen its hold on me. I would have snapped back eventually, even if I didn't come back on my own." He hesitated and then said, "The Night Nurse offered to return my emotions to me."

"Did you let her?"

"No."

It wasn't a surprise. Getting his emotions back would mean Monty would be less willing to help Desire; and even without his emotions, he'd made it clear that he didn't want to die. "You don't have to do this." Maybe it wouldn't do any good. Maybe he wouldn't be able to change Monty's mind. But he had to try. If Monty killed Niko, if he took her life again, it was something he'd never be able to come back from. Even if he lived, even if he got his emotions back, he'd never be able to make up for taking Niko's life. "I could help you," he continued. "We could find a way. Together."

"Can you save me?" Monty asked. "Do you have a way in mind already?"

"I need to be out of my chains. Out of this prison," Thomas said honestly. "Once I am, I can help you. I can figure out how to save you. But you can't make this choice," he said. "If you kill her, even if it's to save your own life, that's something you can never come back from. If you've never taken a life before, it's something you can never come back from. It will change you, inside, even if you don't want it to."

"That sounds like you're speaking from experience," Monty said, his voice very quiet.

"Yeah." Thomas didn't want to think about that, about the person he'd killed. It had been an accident, not deliberate. But that hadn't made a difference...and as he'd told Monty. It changed you inside. It had changed him. "We can talk about it, when all of this is over," he offered.

"I can't free you."

"I know. But you can tell them. The others," Thomas said. "If you tell Edwin and Charles the truth, they'll figure out something."

Monty was quiet for several moments; so long that Thomas wondered if he'd left. Then, he felt gentle fingers moving over his face...carefully plucking the blindfold free.

Thomas blinked rapidly, trying to let his eyes adjust to the light, and then focused on Monty, looking into his eyes. "Edwin will help you. You know that," he said quietly.

Something flashed in Monty's eyes. It was indecipherable, gone in a matter of seconds. But then he was leaning forward, lips hovering over Thomas' for a second or two before he quickly kissed him.

The action took Thomas by surprise...but perhaps it shouldn't have. Even for someone without emotions, it had to be a heady feeling to have the kind of control over another being that Monty currently had over him. He didn't exactly respond to the kiss; not only was it an imbalance of power, but he was in love with Edwin. And they hadn't discussed including anyone else in their relationship.

At the same time...Monty was dying. And it would likely be soon, if he was desperate enough to form an alliance with Desire. So if he wanted to have a bit of contact before it happened...could Thomas truly blame him?

So he didn't respond to the kiss. But he didn't pull away either. He let Monty do what the younger man wanted to.

When Monty pulled away from the kiss, he whispered in a voice that sounded uncertain, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're dying. And I can understand wanting some form of physical contact and comfort," Thomas said. "But I'm the wrong person for you to reach out to. I'm not the one you need."

"I don't need anyone."

"Monty. You have to talk to Edwin. You can't go through with what you intend," Thomas said. "You will never be able to come back from that and I promise, you will regret it."

"I'm sorry for what's happened and what you've been put through," Monty said. "Once Desire has what they want, I'm sure they'll let you go. I'll make sure of it." He walked away, heading to the other side of the cell, and then simply faded from view.

Thomas slumped slightly in his chains and sighed. There was nothing more he could do. He just truly hoped that he'd done enough to at least make Monty think before he acted.

Edwin wouldn't be able to forgive him if Monty took Niko away from him again.

###

The surroundings that formed around Edwin, Charles and Niko were darker...a forest that had bare, twisted branches. The ground was covered with dead and decaying leaves and fruit...and when Edwin stepped on a shrivelled piece of fruit, it crumbled into a pile of white, writhing maggots.

Niko cringed visibly and shifted closer to Edwin, her grip growing tighter as a sign of her anxiety. "I don't like this place," she whispered. "It feels wrong."

"Do you think this is where the Cat King is as well?" Charles asked quietly. "It'd make things a hell of a lot easier if it is. That way, we could rescue him as well as rejoin Monty."

Edwin didn't respond, because he was beginning to worry about something that hadn't occurred to him before. What sort of shape would Thomas be in, when they finally found him? How were they going to get him out of the Dreaming and back to their own world?

"Edwin." Charles' voice broke into his thoughts. "You're being awfully quiet, mate. What do you think?"

"I think we're going to have to move very carefully," Edwin admitted. "We've already been trapped inside our own dreams turned nightmares. We could be separated again."

"That's not going to happen," Charles declared firmly.

In spite of himself...in spite of the situation...Edwin couldn't help the smile that touched his lips. "As much as I appreciate your determination to make sure we don't get separated, it could still happen. We need to be prepared for the possibility." He sighed quietly and shook his head. "I don't know what to do if we can't find him soon."

"Hey." Charles squeezed his hand. "We'll find him. No matter what it takes. And you two can have your whole big romantic reunion." His grin was teasing.

Edwin couldn't return the smile, even though he appreciated the words. He focused his attention on the path ahead of them.

Was it his imagination, or had the twisting branches moved closer together? It was impossible to penetrate the darkness ahead of them and Edwin shifted slightly. "I think we need to be ready for something to happen."

"Yeah. I've been ready ever since we came into the Dreaming," Charles muttered, taking a tighter and firmer grip on his bat. He let go of Edwin's hand and shifted, moving in front of him and Niko protectively.

Niko's fingers gripped Edwin's to a point of almost being painful and he glanced down at her, looking into her eyes. "It's going to be okay," he promised.

"I don't want to be buried alive," she whispered back.

He winced. He couldn't help it. After all, Niko had been buried alive. If that was the nightmare she'd experienced, he couldn't even reassure her that it wasn't going to happen, because it already had. He couldn't bring himself to lie to her, not even to provide reassurance. But he made the promise that he could make...and desperately hoped future events wouldn't turn him into a liar. "You won't wake up in a coffin."

"Okay." She nodded, looking trustingly into his eyes.

Edwin couldn't quite bring himself to smile, not with how worried he was about the situation as a whole, but he gently squeezed her hand and fervently hoped he hadn't just lied to her.

"Fuck." Charles' exclamation broke into Edwin's thoughts. "This forest is alive."

"I've noticed the branches moving closer to each other," Edwin admitted. "It's like the Dreaming itself is trying to keep us from reaching our destination."

"I thought Dream wasn't going to interfere," Niko whispered.

Edwin and Charles exchanged glances and Charles moved further in front, though only by a few steps. "Guessing this isn't Dream's doing and that whatever took Thomas is responsible for all this."

"I think you're right," Edwin agreed. "Don't go too far, Charles. I don't want to risk us getting separated." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something moving through the dead trunks. It was transparent, like the living's tales of ghosts or spirits, and Edwin couldn't make out the details.

He didn't realise he'd taken a step towards the trees, towards the shape, until he felt Charles' hand on him as well as Niko's, and felt himself being tugged back towards them.

"We've gotta stick together," Charles muttered, sounding shaken.

Edwin found his eyes drawn towards the shape again, but he managed to focus on his friends...on staying with them, not trying to see what the creature was that had taken his attention. "Can you see something as well?" he asked.

"I don't see anything. But I can hear them." Charles shifted slightly, clearly uneasy. "This feels even more unsettling than being tricked with a fake illusion of Crystal," he muttered.

"I don't see anything..." Niko whispered.

"That doesn't mean you won't." Edwin looked at her, even though his mind kept trying to distract him with the figure he was sure was staring at him. "Stay close to us."

She swallowed but nodded, giving him a trembling smile.

"Edwin," Charles whispered.

Edwin's attention immediately snapped to his best friend...and then was drawn to the area several feet in front of Charles, where Monty was standing.

Well, it looked like Monty...but he didn't look like he was in good shape. Streaks of crimson covered his pale cheeks, like he'd been crying blood. In the short time since they'd been separated, his body had grown thin...almost skeletal in appearance.

"Is that really Monty?" Charles whispered in an aside to Edwin. "Not a nightmare or dream creature pretending to be him? Because he doesn't look healthy...."

"He was coughing up blood," Edwin whispered back. "I'm not surprised that he doesn't look healthy. If it is him." He looked carefully over Monty, seeking out anything that looked 'off'. Did Monty's body look normal...like Edwin remembered...despite looking so thin, he was almost skeletal in appearance? He wasn't missing any limbs, or any fingers. He was wearing the same clothes he had been when they'd last seen each other.... "I think it is Monty," he said out loud.

"Okay." Charles slowly lowered his bat, though he didn't move closer to Monty. Instead, he called from where he stood, "Did you manage to find the Cat King?"

"I found him." Monty stepped forward slowly, as if every movement was sending pain shooting through him. Edwin had the fleeting thought of listening to a retelling of the Little Mermaid, where every step she took on dry land caused her to feel like blades were going through her feet.

Was Monty going through a similar situation?

Edwin squeezed Niko's hand and then dropped it, moving until he was standing next to Charles. "You look worse than you were before. Let me take a look." He held a hand out to Monty.

Monty stared at his hand, but didn't take it. "I'm fine," he muttered.

Next to Edwin, Charles snorted softly. "Mate, any one of us can see you're not fine. You look like you're about to drop down dead," he said bluntly.

Monty shifted slightly from one foot to the other, staying quiet for a few moments before he finally said, "You need to follow me to get to the Cat King."

Edwin moved closer to Monty, shaking off the hand Charles placed on his arm to try and stop him. "You need to let me help you."

Monty finally looked into his eyes and whispered, "You can't do anything to help me."

He wasn't moving away, or stepping back, so Edwin moved close enough that he was standing in Monty's personal space; close enough that they could easily touch. And that close proximity allowed him to see even more details of the condition Monty was in.

His skeletal appearance, bloodshot eyes, and blood streaked cheeks made it obvious that he was in a bad way. When Edwin reached out to touch his face, Monty flinched, but didn't actually take a step back...although it seemed he was forcing himself to stay in place.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Edwin whispered.

"I know," Monty whispered back. "But you don't need to do this. There's nothing you can do for me." Despite his words, though, he didn't try to move away from the hand touching his face. He didn't lean into it, not exactly, but he slanted towards Edwin.

"Let me have a look," Edwin said quietly.

Monty took in a deep breath and seemed to force himself to stand still, remaining in place, head slanted just enough to expose his neck.

The action was more submissive than Edwin had been expecting and it reminded him of his own behaviour with Thomas. If they weren't in this situation...if they weren't trying to rescue Thomas...he might have explored this a bit further. As it was, he just took a step closer to Monty, into the other man's personal space, and let his hands run gently down over Monty's body, carefully probing and seeking any signs of injuries. He might not be a doctor, but he'd seen enough injuries...many of them his own...that he had a fairly good idea of how to tell how bad a way someone was in.

"What's the verdict?" Monty asked, once Edwin had lowered his hands and stepped back.

"You've deteriorated really quickly in a short amount of time," Edwin whispered. "If we can get back home, I can see how bad it is...and if there's anything I can do to help you."

"There's nothing you can do to help me."

The certainty made Edwin wince. Maybe Monty was right. Maybe there was nothing he could do to help him. But even just making him comfortable and distracting him from what was going to happen...much like Edwin had done for Charles...would be something.

But he had to find Thomas. He had to rescue Thomas. And that meant he couldn't do what Monty needed. Even though he desperately wanted to.

"That bad, then?" Monty whispered, when Edwin didn't say anything.

"Charles. Give me your pack," Edwin stated, without taking his eyes from Monty.

"Do we really have time for this?" Even as he asked the question, Charles moved over to Edwin's side and handed him the pack.

"We're going to have to make time." Edwin dropped the pack to the ground and opened it, then reached his hand inside. "I hope you didn't take out what I'm looking for."

"Course not. I've left everything in there you put in there." Charles paused and then asked, "What are you looking for?"

"This." Edwin pulled out a strip of what looked like a white sweatband. He stretched it between his hands and straightened up, turning towards Monty.

"What is that?" Monty took a step back.

"It'll help you." Edwin stepped closer to him, gentling his tone as he said, "It can't save you. It can't reverse what's happened to you. But it'll help dull at least some of the pain you're experiencing. I can't do anything more for you until we can get out of the Dreaming."

Monty hesitated, eyes going to the sweatband, before he swallowed visibly. "Fine," he muttered.

Edwin carefully wrapped the sweatband around Monty's head, moving behind him to tie it off. As soon as it was in place, it turned transparent...nearly impossible to see unless one knew what they were looking for.

Almost instantly, some of the tension seeped out of Monty and he stood up a little straighter. "Thank you." His eyes moved over each of them in turn, going from Edwin to Charles to Niko and back again, before he turned away from them. "You should follow me." Without waiting for a response, he began walking.

When Edwin prepared to follow Monty, Charles reached out and grasped his arm. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" His voice was low and pitched enough to only carry to Edwin's ears.

Frowning slightly, Edwin looked at Monty's back, then into his best friend's face. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you think it's a bit too convenient that he just happened to show up so he could guide us?" Charles asked.

"Charles." Edwin placed his hand over Charles' and squeezed lightly. "We were concentrating on getting to Monty. On finding him. It's not a surprise that he'd be here."

"That's not my problem," Charles replied. "My problem is that he just happens to know where the Cat King is. You don't think that's too much of a coincidence?"

"He's dying, Charles." A stab of guilt went through Edwin as he said the words out loud. He shouldn't have agreed to the spell. He should have stopped it when he realised it was hurting Monty, no matter what the consequences might be. Maybe Monty had known something like this would happen, but that didn't mean Edwin should have let it happen.

"I know. And I know you feel guilty, even if you don't need to," Charles said. "But that doesn't change the fact that it's all just a little bit too convenient."

Edwin let go of Charles' hand and took a step back, shrugging off his best friend. "I trust Monty," he said seriously. "He's said he knows where Thomas is, and I'm going to trust him to guide us there. You don't have to come." As soon as he said those words, he regretted them. It sounded like he didn't want or need Charles' help...and that wasn't true at all. "Charles..." he started.

Charles didn't say anything, instead turning and storming away from Edwin...though he headed after Monty, instead of taking off his own.

Edwin winced, but he wasn't sure what he could do or say to make things better. He cast a glance at Niko, then began to trail after Monty as well.