Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The first thing he noticed was that he was running. Running from what? He didn't know. But did that matter? The lights seemed to flicker above him, driving his urge to get out. Get out. Get out. Get out! Get out! Get out! Get...

He passed by dark passageways, but something told him not to go down them. That they were just illusions. He had to find the right one. Not only did he have to get out, but he also had to... Had to... Had to what? His legs seemed to fly over the ground, his eyes never closing, his body never tiring. His mind always active. Get out. Get out. Get out!

Don't slow down. Something will happen when you slow down. What? He kept going, deeper, deeper, and deeper still into the hull of the ship. He was on a ship. That was where he was! Which one though...

A scream from behind made him stop in his tracks. His heart seemed to freeze. He knew that voice. Knew that scream. It was her scream. He spun around, and another scream followed the first. It was young, feminine, and the worst sound he'd ever heard in his life. It was a scream of pure agony. They were killing her.

He dashed past doors he'd already gone by, following her sounds of despair. The lights seemed to get more intense, fading deeper into darkness, then back into an almost blinding light. It corresponded with his breathing, which grew faster, along with his heartbeat. Maybe this time he could save her. Maybe this time she'd be okay. Maybe this time he wouldn't...

He came to the door she was in, her screams pounding in his ears as much as his blood was. He pushed into the darkness, instantly feeling chilled. He ran faster than he had before, and slid into a room on the other side of the hall. It was illuminated by a red light, and he could just make out the figure of a woman lying against the back wall, her head drooped to the side, mouth open, dark liquid coming from the edge of her mouth.

He tried to call out her name, but it was like his jaw was welded shut. He came over to her and knelt down, brushing her stringy black hair out of her face. It was matted in several areas, and made his hands sticky, but he didn't care. He picked her up, not really feeling her weight, and began to carry her out of the room.

Only for her eyes to open, and for them to be yellow, with snake-like pupils that seemed to smile up at him. Bill.

"Long time no see Sixer... Looks like you're too late. Again."

Ford woke up with a start, sweat pouring down his face, the echoes of "Kacy!" bouncing around the room he shared with Mabel. Mabel. He wasn't on the Golden Hand, he was on Love Patrol Alpha. He was with Mabel. He wasn't covered in her blood. Bill wasn't there. He'd beaten Bill. Bill was dead. Bill was dead. Kacy was...

"What on Earth was that?"

Ford jerked his head to the right, where Mabel's face was peering over the edge of the railing. Without his glasses on his sister was blurry, but he didn't care about that. He could feel cold sweat on his forehead, and his breathing was still rushed and ragged. Mabel was blinking at him, and he blinked at her in turn. He didn't want to say anything about it. He just wanted to forget.

"No- Nothing..." He said, running a hand down his face. Mabel cocked an eyebrow and said, "Really? It didn't seem like nothing." Her brown hair was down to her shoulders now, and most of it sat in a tangled mess. To be honest, she looked the slightest bit frightening. Ford felt something rise in the back of his throat, and simply shook his head to prevent himself from choking up. "It was." he said quietly, turning his face from her.

Mabel sighed, her fingers gripping the railing ever so slightly more, she reached a hand out towards her brother and rested her right pointer finger on his arm, which was shaking along with the rest of his body. "Uh-huh," she scolded, her tone unbelieving. She stared up at his ears and pressing a bit into his sweater, "I thought you'd promised to tell me the truth."

Ford froze again, and he looked at Mabel's finger. "You don't need to know." He muttered, wincing as Mabel scoffed loudly. "I don't need to know?" she half demanded. "I don't need to know?! You're my brother for crying out loud! Something bad happened to you! Now tell me the truth!" It wasn't just her finger on his arm then, it was her entire hand, gripping his arm and pushing it gently.

"I have seen many things..." Ford said, placing his other hand on top of his sister's, "And I'm telling you the truth when I say this. You don't need to know. The horrors of the Multiverse are something I must face alone." He lifted up gently on her hand, and she relinquished her hold on him. Her face, that had been so determined, suddenly turned soft and scared. "You... That's not something you need to do..." she whispered, but he shook his head.

There was a moment of silence, during which Ford shoved his blue blanket off of him. His feet were still in their socks, and Mabel scrunched up her face when she saw them. Her brother turned to the right, dropping his legs down next to her, and leaped off, landing with a 'Hup'. He looked back over at her, then said quietly, "I'll get changed in the bathroom."

She nodded, then rubbed her right arm. "I can leave... You obviously want to be alone..." She closed her eyes, and turned her back to him, her hand stilling and gripping her green sweater sleeve. She began to walk away from him, towards the door, and then his hand fell on her shoulder. "Mabel..." he said quietly, and she looked over at him.

"Mabel... This isn't like you."

"And this isn't like you!" She snapped right back, whipping around and glaring at him. "I know you don't like talking about the other dimension! And I don't blame you! But you're not the only one to get nightmares you know." Their hands both fell to their sides, and they stood silent for another moment. Then new fire crept into Mabel's eyes.

"You know, this isn't the first time you've had a nightmare recently," she muttered, looking down at the ground near Ford's feet. "This is just the first time you screamed... That used to happen to me a lot."

Ford's eyes stayed plastered to Mabel's face. He felt his heartbeat stay at it's risen state. His sister's accusation from decades ago ringing in his ears. She was right, and he had nearly forgotten. His hand reached out and landed on her shoulder again, this time in comfort, of some semblance of it. Mabel's eyes darted up to his, and she added, "They never really go away. You know that."

He nodded, and she sighed. "I've spent forty years trying to get you back... And you spent thirty just... surviving. Didn't you?" Another small nod confirmed her suspicions, and she added in a softer voice, "Running from... From... Oh... There was someone..." Her tone shifted, and she held a hand up to her forehead, eyes closed in concentration. "Hold on, I can remember..."

But before she could get a grip on the memory, Ford said firmly, "No. Don't try. The longer you don't remember the better."

Mabel opened her mouth to protest, but Ford shook his head. "Please Mabel. Just trust me. You don't want to know..."

"End of the 'Madeline'... Get it? It's a pun... Cause it's the end of the line, and your name is Madeline... End of the Madeline... Nevermind!"

Mabel looked groggily up at the tall man in front of her. To be honest, if her feelings were any indication, it was the end of the line. Her breathing was quick and shallow, and her legs killed her from running for what felt like a good half hour. Dennis Daring, a faux Italian mobster, stood in front of Mabel with his arms crossed, and two lackeys at either side, each with a handgun pointed at her chest. Well, technically they were standing in front of Madeline Prince, but the fact that the name was false wouldn't stop them from taking her out.

"That's... what you think." She said, her chest rising and falling noticeably. A small series of coughs broke any more words she would have said, and Dennis rolled his eyes. "Oh, but my sweet, it is. You have two options Maddie; you can come with me, or I'll let Williams and Forest take you out." He waved at the two men at his sides, and Mabel bit her lip.

"Now my dear, we don't have all day." Dennis said, taking a step towards her, and another, and another. He was close enough... So close! Her body was weary with fatigue, her brain screaming at her, a pulsing headache starting to develop. Her right hand slowly moved towards her red jacket, so slowly that Dennis wouldn't be able to see it.

Dennis cupped a thin hand under her chin, and tilted her sweaty face towards him. "You've been running for a long, long time. My offer still stands."

"Do you actually want to hear what my answer is?" She asked quietly, and Dennis's pale white teeth showed, his grip on her chin strengthening slightly. "Of course my dear." Mabel gulped, then cemented the thought in her mind of what she was about to do.

Before anyone could say another word she pushed herself up, bringing Dennis into a forced kiss. His hand dropped from her chin and his other came up and tangled itself in her hair... And then he screamed.

Her right hand had come up suddenly, and she slammed her lighter onto his back, fully lit. The fire bit through his pinstripe suit coat and made contact with his bare flesh, the sizzling of which filled the small dark alley. Mabel broke out of the kiss as quickly as she had gotten into it, and was about to shove Dennis into Williams and Forest when twin shots came at the same time.

The aim was poor, but Mabel felt one of the bullets graze her. Then another, better aimed, round was fired, and this time she felt a lot more of the bullets crash into her and Dennis.

There was smoke, blood, charred flesh. If Mabel didn't know any better she'd say that her shoulder was the place the scent was coming from, along with all of the pain. She tried to force herself to stand, but her legs seemed to be locked it place. Williams and Forest came closer to her, this time their eyes empty voids, like the center of the portal...

The portal!

Mabel woke up in a cold sweat. Her head and shoulder actually did hurt, along with her heart racing. She felt like puking all over the floor around her, and even leaned over the edge of the bed she was laying in, ready to retch at a moment's notice, but thankfully no bile made its way into her throat.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She was completely silent, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was alone, and she had almost died, even if it was only a dream. Not for the first time she wished for Ford. Wished that she could bury her face in his chest and sob for all of eternity. If it had been years ago she would have almost never dreamed of doing such an action, but now, after everything...

Wait. Wasn't Ford there? That's right! She had saved him from the portal, and they had fought with... with... Well, they had reconciled, and now they were living on a boat in the middle of the Arctic. Ford was actually there! Would he like it if Mabel asked him for a hug though... He'd probably give her one, but the odds that he was either sleeping or working were very high...

"Ford?" she said into the pale darkness, and she received a hum in reply. A pale light shone towards the door, one of a flashlight, and Mabel sighed before pulling herself off of her bottom bunk. "I... I don't feel so good..."

The light, which had been shaking ever so slightly, suddenly stilled completely. "Do you need me to grab the bucket?" he asked, and the dull thud of a book shutting came from his bunk. Mabel mumbled a negative and shivered slightly. "Some painkillers would be nice... Is it raining? My shoulder is killin' me." There was a small moment of silence, before Ford said quietly, "I'll be right back."

She watched as her brother leaped off of the bed (why did it even have a ladder? He never used it), and dashed out of the room. Mabel took that moment to snuggle into her blanket, her mind feeling worse without her brother there. Ford could feel however he wanted, but she wanted a hug, and there was no one else to give her one.

He kept his promise and showed up a few moments later, a glass of water, a bottle of pills, and some strange ointment in hand. "Look Mabel, I'm going to need you to take your sweater off... And your shirt. It was the right one... right?" He let her have a pill and swallow before she did what he said, and she didn't even feel that strange as he began to dab the medicine onto her brand tattoo.

"What you've done with it is lovely..." He said quietly, and Mabel stiffened. "Mmm-hmm." She hummed, and bit back a cry of pain as Ford pressed a bit too firmly. Ford seemed to notice her pain, and grabbed her limp arm with his unused hand. "I may not be good at reading emotions..." Ford mumbled, rubbing her arm with his thumb, "But I'm pretty good at pain. Now, how does that feel?"

Mabel wanted to shrug, but knew that it would only make it worse. "It's fine... A bit better. Thanks Bro- Ford." Ford nodded, forgetting that Mabel couldn't see him, and gently pulled her purple t-shirt over her torso again. "Let me know if it starts to get worse. Your protection mark is weak, but with all of these anomalies it must be acting up..."

His sentence trailed off into the night, and Mabel nodded silently. "It's okay..." She mumbled, and a shiver ran down her spine. Ford patted her uninjured shoulder, then asked quietly, "Is there anything else you need? How's your headache?"

"Better, and... Yes." She looked over at him, then asked, in a voice that sounded like she didn't believe she'd get it, "May I have a hug?"

Ford froze, then said softly, "Of course." He stepped around her and held his arms open. Mabel practically flung herself into him, and clung tightily to his jacket, which he was still wearing. She couldn't help but let a few tears fall onto his coat, but if he noticed he didn't mention it. "You had a nightmare." was the last thing Ford said before he gently wraped his own arms around her, and they embraced like they'd never let go.

Morning came, and the two of them were still embracing, in the loosest of senses though, as Ford had led Mabel to her bunk and let her fall asleep next to him. It was still sweet though.

And... I'm back.

I personally don't have dreams. Unless I have nightmares, and then I have... those. Honestly Ford and Mabel have nightmares, no matter what universe they're from. But in this one they're there for each other. Ford is more disinclined to tell Mabel about his, as they have to deal with things she's never even heard of before, and she... just doesn't have the emotional energy to tell him.

Don't worry, they'll get some quality time together after ever single one, and they'll never be lonely again! Probably...

I hope you guys had fun watching me torture... I hope you guys had fun reading this chapter! Thanks to Karuma Yin-Yang for the follow/favorite!

Have a great day!

-BrilliantLight