A/N: Here we go, people. Let me know what you think about the end of the chapter.

"Oh shit," Ariadne exclaimed.

"What is it?" Tracy asked.

"This is the same tree we've passed."

"How can you possibly know that?"

Ariadne pointed at the arbor. "See that? I purposely designed a very specific carving on the bark of that tree. It's the same one."

"But we've been walking straight, right?" Eames asked.

"Oh fucking hell," Jade groaned. "We've been going in circles."

"No we haven't," Cobb morbidly stated. "The landscape's changing."

"Is there anything we can do?" Arthur asked Cobb but really asking Ariadne.

"I don't fucking get it!" Jade kicked at the dirt, sending it flying in a brown puff. "This is Tori's dream!"

"But it's his rules, Jade" Tracy folded her arms. It sent shivers through her body, recalling that bout she had with Freddy in the nightmare inspired by her abusive father's shitty apartment. Krueger said the same shit to her. The memory immediately made her rub the raw burn marks on her wrists.

"I know I'm going to be lynched for this," Eames interjected pointing his finger upward. "But perhaps we should split up."

They all stare at him.

"You are fuck-crazy!" Jade protested.

"Wait," Tracy stepped forward. "He may have a point."

Eames straightened up his button shirt and put his best smug face on.

"A very small point but an apt one."

Eames shrugged and accepted the compliment, warts and all.

"With Krueger pulling the strings," Arthur said. "Our mission is futile if we remain a single, slow, large target."

"But if we divide into units of two," Cobb nodded. "Then we have a chance. We cover more of the terrain and Krueger won't be able to divide his attention. His influence in the dream may appear godlike but he is just a man."

Tracy nodded and gave a brave look to Jade, trying to give her some encouragement.

"Jade's with me," Tracy said matter-of-factually.

"Okay," Cobb snapped his fingers. "Arthur and Ariadne, you're a team. And that leaves Eames and myself."

Eames snorted. "Figures; three men, three ladies and I get paired with you."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Tracy sneered as she began to walk away with Jade. "Two of them are spoken for from what I see and none of us can fucking stand you anyway."

Arthur led the way with Ariadne close by.

"What do you make of this place?" she asked him.

"Not much. Redwoods like these are more akin to Northern California while this Tori Vega is supposed to be..." a movement in the brush several yards away made him stop for a second. "...from Los Angeles."

"That's not what I mean," she said nervously. "I mean, where did this place come from? A memory? Something she had seen in a photo?"

"Why do you ask?"

"This forest...doesn't feel right. It's so ethereal. A dream is supposed to deceive the dreamer with reality. No matter the heights on insanity we reach, we fully accept the conditions of a dream. This place is so unreal, how come the dream hasn't collapsed?"

"That's the problem with a coma, I suppose" Arthur mused. "The dream is more of a trap, the sleeper unable to awaken."

"You think Cobb can do it?" Ariadne asked. "You really think he can bring her out?"

Arthur sighed, looking up at the canopy which is shielding much of the light.

"I don't know," he said. "I've never seen him do it before. But...he says he has a plan."

"Somehow that doesn't soothe me."

Tracy and Jade hit a wall. Literally.

Moving through the thickets, they came across a massive brick wall with dark green ivy strewn about. It looked like the building was part of the forest or vice versa.

"I've seen this place before," Tracy remarked. "Even before I saw Freddy with my own eyes for the first time, I was inside this building."

"It's that place isn't it?" Jade gulped. "The steam and fire..."

Tracy nodded. "His own hell designed just for his prey."

"What's that?" Jade asked, narrowing her eyes to focus on the distance.

"Is that?..." Tracy could make out a girl. It looked like...

Jade could have smacked herself had she not been overcome with paralysis. It took some convincing herself, but she was able to move again when she realized what she saw was real.

"TORI!" Jade cupped her hands over her mouth to amplify her voice.

The two sisters began to run over to what they saw.

Tori sat on the steps of the door leading to the bowels of the boiler room. She was gripping the railing so hard all color drained from her knuckles. The Latina looked around, visibly twitching like a startled rodent. She stared at the sky, trying to make out the origin of the sound whilst turning her head around. Jade never seen anything like this before. It was as if Tori was in a trance.

"TORI!" Jade's legs began to gain enough strength to run over to her girlfriend.

The two finally locked eyes mere feet before embracing. Jade got a strong hold of Tori who was still shaking and muttering to herself. The Goth pressed their foreheads together.

"Look at me Tori," Jade said in a sweet but strong tone. "Focus on my eyes. You need to snap out of it."

Cobb mentioned to Jade earlier how time in the dream was compressed roughly twenty times greater than in the real world. So, being in a coma for about three days must have felt like weeks to her. Jade understood why Tori's hair was mussed, her skin dehydrated, and her movement erratic. She has never seen it before in anyone else, but Tori was clearly having signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Once can only imagine what it was like to live in fear for that length of time; all alone except for the man trying to kill you.

"It must have been horrible," Jade said, stroking the brown hair of her love seeking one vain attempt after another to comfort her.

Tori's eyes began to seem more focused and she almost scared Jade by falling into her arms.

"Oh, Jade" she whispered.

Jade kissed the top of her head. "It's alright, baby" she cooed. "It's gonna be okay. I promise."

"Oh, god Jade," Tori sniffed. "I was so scared. I thought I was gonna die."

"I thought I'd never see you again," Jade smiled through tears.

Tori's jaw dropped when she saw four steel blade protrude through Jade's stomach.

"JADE!" Tracy screamed.

"I didn't," Freddy grinned emerging from behind her.

He stiffened his arm to bring up his hand, digging deeper into Jade's guts.

Jade fell to the ground, coughing up blood. Tori's screams shook the entire world.

Arthur and Eames ran over to them pointing their guns at the scarred murderer and began firing rounds. Unfortunately, he vanished before their eyes. His menacing laughter echoed.

"JADE! NO! NO!" The Latina shouted as she cradled the pale girl's frame.

"COME ON, JADE" Tracy yelled. "STAY WITH US!"

Steely blue-green eyes glassed over in the reflection of brown ones. Tori didn't think of anything else but doing anything she could to stop what was happening in front of her but her wounds were too great. She regretted having fought with her back at her house.

At this moment Tori didn't care about labels like "girlfriend" or "lover" or "wife."

She didn't care about parents or grandparents or teachers and others who wouldn't understand.

Who needed them anyway?

Tori was willing to walk away from all of it, all of it, if she could just have Jade to hold onto and never let go forever and ever.

But she remembered something she read a long time ago.

"Nothing lasts forever."

The black-haired girl's body fell limp in Tori's arms. As her heart broke, the foundation of the forest began to quake and crumble. Tracy was on her knees screaming at the sky, cursing Freddy Krueger and swearing that she would kill him. But these sounds fell on deaf ears. All Tori could hear was her whole world collapsing.

Then darkness.

Deep darkness.