A/N: Well, here's the continuation! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Characters, just the plot.

RE-UPLOAD: My bad. I forgot to add one significnt detail at the end when Marco notices Star's wand. The rest is the same.


The Dream

Marco... Save me...

The boy trusted and turned in his bed as the words haunted him in his dream.

Marco... Save me...

Those words, those agonizing words, buzzing around him like a fly.

Marco... Save me...

That voice. Soft, beautiful, familiar...

Once so lively and filled with energy, now hollow and sad. Just like him. It was fitting, he supposed.

And the words kept repeating, over and over again, calling out for him. But he knew better than to let their illusion blind him from the truth. This was a dream, one he'd been having for over a month now.

Always the same godforsaken dream of standing in the middle of nothingness and hearing her silent pleas.

It was torture.

It was torture because it wasn't real. She wasn't real. Not anymore. She was only a memory now, both in real life and in his dreams.

He was a smart kid, smart enough to know not to get his hopes up over a silly dream.

Then, he saw her. Sitting there in the middle of nothingness, hugging her legs and sobbing, hiccuping, crying. She looked so pale. So weak.

So real.

"Star!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, forgetting himself for a moment, forgetting that she was only an illusion.

She didn't hear him. Instead, she kept crying and hugging herself.

"Star!" He kept shouting as he ran towards her, hoping that she would hear his cries. To his dismay, she not only didn't seem to hear or notice him but, no matter how much he ran, he didn't get any closer to her.

But God, that wouldn't stop him from trying. She was right in front of him, and he was determined to get through to her.

So he kept running, sweating, yelling her name over and over again until the breath in his lungs fell short and his voice became hoarse.

With a final, agonizing scream, he collapsed.

Slowly, he closed his eyes.

She wouldn't answer his calls, no matter how hard he tried.

All he wanted was for her to see him, to talk to him.

But such luck wasn't his.

Marco...?

His eyes shot open. A flood of fresh energy washed over him and he forced himself upright.

He stared into those beautiful blue spheres, losing himself in their haze. They hadn't lost any of their charm or allurement.

If you're here, then... No... she gasped, striking a panicked expression. Please, don't tell me that Toffee got you too...

"Got me too? What do you mean? And where exactly is 'here'?"

He was going crazy. Talking to an illusion. He should know better than to deceive himself, to give himself a false sense respite from his nightmares.

But he wanted to pretend like this wasn't a dream. For just a moment, he wanted to pretend that this was real, that this was the real Star, alive and well.

God, how he missed her. How he missed seeing her, talking to her.

Even if this was just a dream, God, he needed it.

Marco, I'm dead.

It never stopped, did it? Even in his dreams, he wasn't free of the cruel reality.

"I-I know, Star, I know..." How good it felt to say her name again, after such a long time. "I'm just happy to see you again, even if you're just a dream."

A dream? Marco, how did you even end up in this place?

"Same as every night for the past month or so. I fall asleep and never dream of anything else but this place, although this is the first time I've got to see you, not just hear you."

Marco, listen to me. I have no idea how you keep ending up here, but you need to leave, like, now, before it's too late to escape this place.

He had to admit, for a figure formed by his dreams, she looked and sounded very real.

"Well, it's not really up for me to decide what I'll dream abou-"

Marco, this isn't a dream.

His eyes widened.

"Of course this is a dream! And you're not the real Star. You just said it yourself, she's dead."

I know I'm dead. This place, she looked around herself, This place is called The Void, where all trapped souls go. I can't leave, but you still can! So run!

"Trapped?" he asked.

Yes, trapped, she confirmed.

Suddenly, it hit him. The reoccurring dreams, her soft cries for help, the realism of it all...

Hold the phone!

This was real!

This was friggin real!

And if this was real, then it could only mean one thing.

"Star, you're not dead!"

I am dead, Marco. Seeing him getting his hopes up; No, she couldn't do that to him. But boy, was he a stubborn one...

"Well, not entirely! And if I can see and talk to you in this, whatever it is, then there must be a way to get you out of here!" He was getting excited. She saw the glimmer of hope in his eyes, and it was tearing her apart. "Just hold out a few more days and I'll come and get you, somehow. Maybe your mom can-"

No, Marco, she cut him off, smiling weakly. I'm not allowing you to risk your own life just to get me back.

"Well, you're not stopping me! I'm getting you back!" he said, very determined.

She shook her head.

No, you're not.

Suddenly, the Void around him shook violently. He looked at her, eyes filled with confusion. She was smiling painfully, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"What's going on? What did you do!?"

I told you, I won't allow you to risk your life for me. Not again. I'm going to stop you from ever coming back to this place, even if it means sacrificing the last bit of energy I have left and fading from existence.

Fading from existence? What's she-

"No..." he said, his voice out of breath.

Please. Just forget about me...

He lunged at her, desperate to stop her, but the distance between them did not waver. The Void kept shaking and he could feel his presence becoming weaker. With a cry of desperation, he hoped to talk some sense into her.

"Star, we're not doing this! Stop whatever you're doing this instant and let me save you!"

She did not listen to his plea.

Goodbye...

"No!" He screamed. The void around him was crumbling, along with her. She smiled sadly at him.

Marco, I lo-

At that moment, everything around him collapsed, and he found himself sitting upright in his bed, panting heavily.

He was in his room, alone in the darkness.

"God fucking dammit!" he cried out in sheer frustration and punched the alarm clock on his nightstand with such a force that it broke upon hitting the wall.

Then, he broke down in tears.

That idiot. That stubborn idiot!

That stubborn idiot!

Why did she keep doing this!? Why did she keep prioritizing his safety over her own!? Constantly protecting him and causing herself pain just so he could live on happily.

Why was he so pathetic?

Not only had he been oblivious to her feeling and hurt her without even realizing it, but now he'd lost her for good.

And he never got a chance to clear things up with her, to tell her how he felt about this.

Tell her that he...

Something caught his attention. He raised his head to look at the sight before him and wiped his eyes, not only to rid himself of the tears but to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Across his room, mounted on the wall next to a picture of himself and Star that the duo had taken in a photo booth, was Star's wand, periodically emitting a flicker of red light and with it, hope.

He stared at it in silence for what felt like ages before wiping away the last of his tears.

With newfound determination, he swore a silent oath, a promise to both himself and her.

"I'll get you back, Star. Mark my words, I'll get you back..."

To be continued...


Chapter end notes:

I'm gonna be honest with you people. I have no idea where I'm going with this or how it'll end, but I hope you're enjoying it. 'Till next time, my friends!