AN: Another weird chapter, but I like this one. Dreams are always fun.

This dream again?

The door to the cell opened and Catra looked up blurrily, straining her neck to left her chin from her chest. Even without the weight of her hair, her head was too heavy to support for long. She'd been hanging in the cell for a long time, alone with her thoughts. She'd looked over her entire life maybe a dozen times, trying to pinpoint the exact moment that led her here. Chained by her wrists in the cell of possibly-friend, awaiting her death at the hands of the tyrant who she had supported only days (weeks?) ago.

The answer was obvious, of course, but Catra didn't want it to be so clear. That moment in Thaymor, when Catra wrenched her hand from Adora's. That was the second her life went so terribly wrong. She would take Adora's hand a thousand times if she just had the chance, but that was a revelation only had in hindsight. At the time, she had been angry. She was still angry, but it had all but burned out, starved as fuel just as she was of food.

She could no longer remember what had been running through her mind when she refused Adora's hand. It had been the clear decision at the time, but now she felt stupid each time she recalled the memory. That was the exact moment that led her here. But Catra wanted to torture herself further.

Other than Thaymor, she had endless opportunities to give up her pride and return to Adora. She rebuked them all. In all honesty, no single moment had doomed her. Every little decision Catra had made for the past three years all lead her here. If she had made a different choice even once, things would be better. Adora wouldn't be on a ship heading away from her, unaware of her suffering. Prime wouldn't have come at all. Catra would be happy.

"You look troubled, Little Sister." Prime walked through the barrier and closed it behind him redundantly. Catra wasn't going anywhere.

He hadn't said Catra's name since she freed Glimmer. Catra had apparently lost the small privilege.

"Sore wrists?" her wrists were long dislocated, unable to bear the weight of her body, but the pain had dulled to an ache as her anguish grew more mental.

"Tired….. from scratching…. your brothers." Catra croaked, voice cracking and cutting her off several times.

"I imagine they are. You did a lot of damage. You're going to suffer for that." Prime took hold of Catra's chin, likely noticing she was seconds from dropping her head.

"Kill…. me. Why the sus…." She swallowed dryly. "Suspense?"

"Killing you would serve no purpose. You have valuable information I need."

"I don't…. don't know anything. That… was a lie."

"Yes, I know. But that is not what I need from you." Prime released her head and walked over to the sidewall of the cell. "I am preparing a little surprise for your Adora, and I believe you can help me."

"Fuck you."

"Charming." Prime pressed a button on the wall, and Catra's wrists released. She tumbled to the ground and laid there. Prime stepped back in front of her and propped her face up with the toe of his boot. This time, Catra directed her eyes elsewhere. She refused to look at him. "You continue to rebel even now. I suppose I can expect nothing less from a lower life form."

Catra didn't have anything to say to that.

"I'm going to make use of you, Little Sister. If you do not cooperate, then I will force compliance from you." Prime grabbed Catra by the collar of her uniform and lifted her to his eye level. She closed her eyes. "I am going to enjoy your pain."

That's not what he said, Catra thought with a start. This is wrong. The realization that this is all a memory hit her hard, and when she opened her eyes, Prime's serene expression was gone. In front of her face was the leering grin of that clone—the giddy one.

The cell around her faded into the hallway of her own home. The exhaustion was present in both memories, old and recent. But instead of sleep deprivation, the dozens of clones that broke into her bedroom had streamlined the process. They forced a drug down her throat after she took down ten of them and proved unruly. Crippling fatigue set in immediately, and the giddy clone took her by the collar. Just as Prime had. He dragged her from her book in the living room to the bedroom.

There, as copying him, the clones recreated the scenario from her nightmares. Exhausted beyond retaliation, strung up by her wrists, glaring into the eyes of her assailant.

"I'm going to enjoy your pain." It was him who said that, even if Prime and he had both fulfilled the promise. "But know that it is for a purpose. You may not be so useless as I believed, Magicat." Figures he didn't know her name. He didn't strike her as outgoing.

Catra spit on him, landing a hit in the eye. Hate burned in his green eyes as he wiped it off. A clone with a glowing kitchen knife, the one she used to deskin fish, appeared by his side. On his other side, a clone reached up to her face, affixing a muzzle on her. The giddy clone took the blade with glee.

You don't need this part. The dream faded to red, but she could still hear her own screams. Or were those….

Adora

I'm okay.

I promise.

Would I break a promise to you?

"Wake up Catra!" the words sounded whispered but urgent. "Get up, please."

Everything is so heavy.

I can't see.

"Come back to me. I want to take you home. But you have to take the steps yourself."

I'm with you. Where else is home?

"I need you."

I love you too.

"Stay with me. Stay, Catra. Please."

Where would I go?

"We're…. lose….. he…."

Who is that?

"Catra don't go!"

Are you…. crying, Adora?

"Clear!" Lightning struck her and Catra shivered.

What is that racket?

"One more!"

What are these people doing in our home?

"Catra!" the red was brightening into a yellow. Noise penetrated the calm, dreamless state of her mind. A single prolonged beep became deafening, even as voices shouted over it.

Something thumped against her chest, and air rushed past her lips. The beep became staccato, stopping and restarting.

"Oh thank the stars." Adora's voice was the loudest in the room by far, even as she whispered carefully next to Catra's ear.

Adora...

The yellow gradually became white, and an image of Adora's worried face appeared for a moment. She gasped.

"Catra, baby?" it appeared again, longer this time. Catra saw glimpses of an unfamiliar room behind her.

The white faded as Catra managed to pry her eyes open completely, and Adora's tear-streaked face took permeant residence as her view.

"Hey, 'Dora." Catra got out. Someone whimpered by her feet, but Adora started to cry again, smiling and cupping Catra's face.

"You were gone." She whispered.

"Never leave you."

"Right, of course."

"I'm so happy you're okay!" Bow came up behind Adora and looked like he had been crying himself. Melog's shrunk-down face popped out of her breast pocket. He whimpered again and wiped tears out of his eyes.

"I wish I could hug you." Adora admitted.

"I'll leave you to three alone. Princess Scorpia will be in soon, but remember to give Catra a little distance." A voice advised from behind her. Adora nodded and footsteps exited the room.

"Well, no hugs. Doctor's orders."

"'S okay." Catra returned. Her eyes felt like closing again, but she had just managed to open them.

"I need to call Glimmer. She'll be so thrilled to see you." Bow promised, heading for his pad on the chair next to Catra's bed. "Hopefully, she's done with-" he stopped, staring down at his screen.

"Bow?" Adora asked, tearing her view away from Catra for a moment.

"I have a missed call." He said flatly, looking at his pad like it displayed a ghost. "From Mermista."

AN: Not sure how happy I am with the ending, but I like this chap overall. Next time, we get to see Glimmer kick Romeo's ass to Despondas and back, so that will be fun. Plus, what's going on with Mermista? Who knows!
As always, if you like this story, leave me some love in the comments! Once again, thanks so much for over 200 kudos! That really warms my heart and makes me want to torture Catra some more. All good things. See you soon!