A/N: Alright, and we're back to this story. I did get a little bit sidetracked with me putting my Buffy crossover, but I just had to get that one out the way, because Buffy and the Scoobies needed a proper introduction in this series sooner rather than later. But now with that one done, do expect some more connections to the Buffyverse here, including mentions of the Buffy characters themselves. There's even going to be somewhat of a small preview of an upcoming story of mine that will be a prequel to this one.
But anyways, that's enough Buffy talk. Let's get back with the man of our dreams, shall we? The first half of this chapter will include a scene from the fifth chapter the original "Dark Legends 2" story, and then another scene from the Justice League Dark animated film. And the second half will cover content from Episode 3 of the Sandman Netflix series, with John taking Johanna's place, and even a bit from the sixth episode, but slightly modified. With that said, let's finally get back to this tale!
Now Playing: "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band
Texas, Many Hours Ago
Lucifer Morningstar and Dream of the Endless were seen driving their way through America as they raced towards Atlanta Georgia to meet with Constantine's friend, Ritchie Simpson. They rarely had time to pause to rest or eat, although to be fair, they were immortals, so they didn't need to do much of that anyway. And as they were driving, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" was ironically playing on Lucifer's radio.
But Morpheus couldn't help but notice that Lucifer was driving a bit… for the lack of a better term, reckless. Now in all fairness, he had never been in a car before (at least a modern car), but he had imagined it wouldn't have been anything like this.
And then, as luck would have it, police sirens were heard, which made Lucifer groan, and then caused him to pull over. Just then, a cop stepped out of the car and walked towards Morningstar's vehicle.
"Ya know why I pulled ya over?" the cop asked in a Southern accent.
"Well, you very obviously wanted to punish me with your limited authority. After all, I was going well over the speed limit." Lucifer replied.
"I'm gonna have to see yer driver's license and registration." the officer ordered.
Lucifer accepted his request, taking out his wallet and pulling out a 100 dollar bill. This just made the cop confused.
"You tryna bribe me?"
"Why, of course!" Lucifer beamed. "You've broken the law before too, haven't you?"
Morningstar then did his traditional trace by looking at the man into his eyes, as he simply just stared.
"Sometimes… I like speedin' in my car too, just 'cause I can." the cop admitted.
"Exactly!" Lucifer said. "Here, take the cash. And consider this our little secret."
"Have a nice evenin', sir." the officer said. Morningstar nodded, and with that, the cop walked back to his car.
"Very impressive, Lightbringer." Dream commented. "But we must hurry. Time is of the essence."
"I know, I know." Lucifer muttered. With that, he hit the gas pedal and sped away, in hopes of reaching his designation soon enough.
Now
After Constantine created a portal back to Georgia, the Dark Legends once again found themselves strolling on the street as they all stared at the replicated ring he created when he and Gibb were in Quentin Lance's head.
"I don't recognize it." Batman said.
"Me neither." Constantine replied.
"It's a ring. And according to that book I borrowed from you, it's been passed around to various sorcerers." Alice stated.
"Aside from my father, do we even know of any other sorcerers that powerful?" Nora asked.
"Good question." Gibb remarked, thinking long and hard for an answer. "We did know of one, but he's been dead for years now."
"What about Willow and Tara?" William asked. "As far as I know, they give Nora a big run for her money."
Nora then gave her boyfriend a glare, making him nervous.
"N-no offense!"
"They're Witches, not sorcerers." Alice reminded him. "And they're off-limits anyways. Last time I was at Sunnydale, Willow's been having a really bad magic addiction, so Tara, Giles, Buffy, and everyone else are trying their best to help her control it. It's kind of why I haven't been there in a few weeks for my Slayer training."
"And how does Dawn feel about that?" Nora asked.
"She was saddened at first, but then when I explained that this was a personal issue for them that they needed to solve on their own, she understood where I was coming from, and we're still talking on the phone. And plus, she has Tara by her side."
Alice then pulled out her phone out of her pocket, and then looked at a picture of her and her girlfriend, Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer. They had met a little over last year when Alice and her friends had traveled to Sunnydale for a nice vacation of visiting Buffy and her Scooby Gang, consisting of Willow Rosenberg, Tara Maclay, the Vampire known as Spike, Xander Harris, Anya Jenkins, Rupert Giles, and Buffy's boyfriend at the time, Riley Finn. And there was something about Dawn that… intrigued Alice. In a way, within Dawn, Alice saw the innocent little girl that she once was before… a certain killer doll came into her life.
So Alice went out of her way to try to protect Dawn from harm's way, especially when at that time, a powerful Hell-Goddess named Glory was after her when it was revealed that she was a Key that took human form and altered everyone's memories so that Buffy and friends could protect her. Luckily, they did manage to defeat Glory for good, and it was actually during that battle when Pierce had become a Slayer.
And then, after that point, Alice finally confessed her feelings for Dawn… and then Summers reciprocated. And the two had become a couple. And their relationship had thrived ever since, with the two growing closer each time they saw each other, whether it was through Alice coming to Sunnydale to work on her Slayer training, or even Dawn coming over to Chicago to hang out with Alice, with either Willow and Tara or sometimes Buffy by her side (much to Dawn's annoyance). She even managed to form a little bond with little Cindy Barclay, as she reminded her of both herself and Alice.
"I love you, Dawnie." Alice murmured, before blowing a small kiss to the picture on her phone and putting it back in her pocket.
"Well, that's a damn shame. I would've loved to have them around, just so I could annoy the shit out of Ripper." Constantine commented, to which Alice, Blue Arrow, Nora, and Trixie narrowed their eyes (especially Alice, given that Giles was her Watcher).
"I ain't sorry."
"Well, even with Buffy and the Scooby Gang out of the picture, can't we just call the Green Arrow, the Flash, or Wonder Woman to help us out?" Trixie asked. "Shit, Supergirl's on our Earth for a week, her strength could definitely be useful here."
"The capes and tights crew? Useless against dark magic." Constantine snorted. "They'd just be a liability, no offense, Bats or Arrow Boy Wonder."
"None taken." Blue Arrow said, rolling his eyes.
"But either way, if there's a person alive who can figure out what this is, it's Ritchie." Constantine said, pointing towards the ring.
"Aren't you forgetting that he still hates your fucking guts?" Gibb asked, to which Constantine's eyes narrowed.
"This is too bloody important to hurt feelings."
With that, the Dark Legends continued walking back towards Ritchie's house. But then as they neared their designation, Constantine saw a horrible sight.
Right on Simpson's doorstep were 4 shrouds. And to make matters worse, a fifth one was exiting the apartment. The shroud then turned around and looked directly at John.
"Constantine…"
"Bollocks."
Constantine then ran straight towards the apartment, with the others following suit.
"You've arrived just in time to witness my-"
Too bad the shroud didn't finish his sentence as Constantine pulled out an amulet and vaporized the ghost with it!
But unfortunately, as John looked inside, he saw that 3 more shrouds were floating over Ritchie's seemingly unconscious body. Right next to Simpson was Lucifer Morningstar and a tall pale skinned man with messy black hair and a black robe.
"Ritchie!" John called as the other Dark Legends caught up to him.
"Lucifer?!" Trixie asked, surprised to see the Devil there.
Lucifer then backed up, but Constantine walked up towards him and grabbed him by the shirt.
"What the fuck did you do?!" Constantine shouted. Lucifer's eyes glowed red as he pushed John with his telekinesis, crashing him against a wall.
"I. Did. NOTHING!" Lucifer snarled. "And you've ruined my shirt!"
"John!" Gibb yelled, running up to Constantine and Lucifer.
Meanwhile, Batman and the kids checked on Ritchie, to see if he was still breathing. Bruce touched his neck for 2 seconds… but then turned to the kids with a grim expression.
"No pulse."
Alice then formed a determined expression on her face, having an idea pop in her head.
"Will, Nora, hold him by the legs!" Alice ordered. "Trixie, Batman, hold him by the arms!"
Wayne, Clayton, Darhk, and Espinoza did as instructed as Pierce then took a syringe full of adrenaline out of her pocket.
"Never thought I'd ever need this again."
"Hurry!" Trixie, William, and Nora yelled in unison, as the shrouds began to pull Ritchie's soul away from his body.
Quickly, Alice readied her syringe and stabbed Ritchie in the chest! And thus the shrouds disappeared and Ritchie woke up with a gasp.
"Why?" Simpson moaned. Batman then pulled the syringe out of Simpson's chest, and he then fainted.
"I see you have a few tricks of your own, eh?" Constantine remarked, after being helped off the floor by Lucifer and Gibb.
"Not everything requires magic." Batman commented, handing the syringe back to Alice.
"Constantine." Dream called, as John took a look at him.
"Who the bloody Hell are you?" Constantine asked.
"I have gone by many names over the millennia. Some have called me the Sandman. Others, Morpheus. But my true name… is Dream of the Endless. And we have business, you and I."
Both Constantine and Gibb recoiled after he had introduced himself. Constantine, simply because he never imagined that he'd ever met the Sandman of all people. Although, he did hear stories that his family had encountered him in the distant past, so he was a bit curious to see what he was actually like for himself.
And Gibb, because she remembered when Lucifer told her the story of the Sandman 4 years ago and how he was imprisoned by a sneaky magician, and his imprisonment eventually led to Freddy Krueger's murder spree in Springwood over the span of 3 decades. But now, seeing the Sandman himself in the flesh (which also suggested that he was free from his prison)… it amazed Smith…
"My gran used to tell me stories about you lot." Constantine said.
"I've known your family for centuries." Dream stated.
"Then you know there's not one of us that can be trusted." Constantine retorted. Just then, a throat was heard being cleared, and John turned to the rest of the Dark Legends. "Unless under certain circumstances, that is."
John then turned back to Lucifer.
"Now, why were you here?"
"We thought we'd ask Richard about you, seeing as you've blocked my number on your phone." Lucifer explained.
"I mean, you couldn't have just called me?" Gibb injected.
"And why'd you try to run? Did you hurt Ritchie?" Constantine persisted.
"I was attempting to help!" Lucifer replied, anger welling up. "When you burst in, I knew I'd get blamed, so I ran."
"What do you want with me, then?" John asked with skepticism in his voice.
"Two things of mine came into your possession." Dream injected, getting Constantine's attention. "One of them was a leather pouch filled with sand. The other, a ruby. I need them back."
"Ruby?" Gibb asked. But then, it hit her. "You mean that busted ass dreamstone? That was yours?"
Dream nodded, and then Gibb turned to Constantine with an annoyed look on her face.
"Goddammit, John. I knew we shouldn't have played that stupid poker game. But no, it was 'All for fun, luv'."
"That was a terrible impersonation of me." Constantine commented.
"Shut up!" Smith yelled, still annoyed. "Look, let's just give our friendly neighborhood Sandman back his belongings and then possibly we can end this whole clusterfuck of a plague."
"Oh, for fuck's sake." Constantine muttered, before turning back to Morpheus. "Bought the leather pouch at an estate sale. Didn't even manage to get drawstrings open."
"Where is it?" Dream asked.
"An old flame from England stole it from me." Constantine replied.
"Oh God, we really have to go all the way to England just to get some-" Gibb complained, but was then interrupted by Constantine.
"Keep your pants on, Smith. I was going to say that she fled to New York. And I haven't seen her since."
"Alright, then let's go." Lucifer declared, starting to walk outside.
"Wait, what about Ritchie?" Nora asked.
John looked up at the ceiling and thought long and hard about that question.. And then he came up with a solution.
"Nora, Willie, Alice, Bats, and Trix, take Ritchie to the Millhouse." Constantine said, creating a portal for the rest of the group to walk through. "I guess me and Gibbie are taking a road trip with Luci and the man of our dreams."
Alice, Blue Arrow, and Trixie nodded as they and Batman carried Ritchie inside the Millhouse. Nora followed them but then was interrupted by Constantine.
"Nora, wait!"
Darhk turned back at John, confused. He then clapped his hand.
"Replicare Anulum…"
Constantine once again conjured up the replica of the magic ring.
"Make sure he sees that right when he wakes up."
"If he wakes." Nora muttered, using her own magic to hold onto the image. With that, she walked through the portal, and then it finally closed.
"Right, now let's head off to the City That Never Sleeps, shall we?" Constantine said.
With that, Constantine, Lucifer, Gibb, and Dream walked over to Morningstar's car, and started driving their way to New York…
A couple hours of driving had passed, and the four of them were getting very close to their designation. As they kept driving, Constantine decided to have a little chat with Dream.
"So, with you being the literal Sandman, how exactly did you lose all of your things that made you… Sandy?" John asked.
"They were stolen by another magic user called Burgess." Dream explained. That name caught Gibb's attention.
"Wait, not Roderick Burgess?" Smith asked. "I did hear about the old Demon King. Everyone used to say that he was a fake. Said he had the Devil locked in his basement, which is obviously a lie considering the Devil is right here. But how the heck did you-"
At that moment, Gibb started to connect the dots, as the memory of Lucifer telling her about the story of Dream's imprisonment in the 1910s and how he was captured by a very sneaky magician. At that time, Morningstar never told her who exactly that magician was, so that part of the story was always a mystery to her… until now.
"Shit." she murmured, staring at Morpheus. "You were down there? All this time?"
Dream nodded.
"It's a very small world we live in, Gibbie." Constantine quipped. But then John remembered something.
"So, you've said that you've known my family for centuries. When exactly did you first meet us?"
"It was 300 years…" Dream said, beginning to recount the meeting with Constantine's ancestor. "And it is one that I shall never forget…"
With that, Dream began the story…
England, 1789
Dream of the Endless was seen sitting at a tavern with Hob Gadling. These two had gone way back… And when I mean way back, I mean by 400 years.
You see, when Dream had first visited this tavern in 1389 with his older sister Death as her way of letting Dream interact with mortals on their terms rather than his. Upon exploring, they had encountered Hob going on a bit of tangent about, funny enough, death, and then making the decision that he wasn't going to die, much to Morpheus' initial confusion. But then, Death decided she was going to grant Gadling eternal life, which in turn made Dream approach Hob and suggest that they both meet each other at this tavern in 100 years' time.
And so, 100 years passed, and they met as planned, with Hob wondering if he had made a deal with the Devil, which made Dream roll his eyes in amusement considering he actually knew the Devil. Gadling then wished to live even longer and then he and Dream would meet again in another 100 years. And the cycle kept going for centuries to come.
Though, last century, Hob was possibly at the lowest point in his life. Dirty and poor. Seen by many others as filth. It didn't help that he had also lost his wife, Eleanor in childbirth alongside the baby, and his son Robyn had died in a tavern brawl at the age of 20. The people tried to drown Gadling as if he was a witch after living there for 40 years. And then it only got worse from there… and worse… and worse… And yet he still had so much to live for.
So now, here they were again. Meeting in this same spot… 400 years later. With that, Hob began the chat.
"I heard something funny the other week. Bloke said to me, he said 'If only the French nobles had played cricket with their men the way we do, they'd never have had this trouble.' You know, first the colonies, now France. You ask me, this country will be next for a revolution. I've been salting money all over the world. First sign of trouble, I'll be out of here like that. In the meantime, I'm in the shipping business. There's a new system where they take English cotton goods to Africa, get a cargo of negroes, pack 'em like sardines. Same ship takes them across the Atlantic. Then come back here with raw cotton, tobacco and sugar."
Dream stared at Gadling for a good 5 seconds, which made him confused.
"What?"
"It's a poor thing for one man to enslave another." Dream replied.
"Just how it's done." Hob shrugged.
"I suggest you find yourself a different line of business, Robert Gadling." Dream said.
"You're giving me advice?" Gadling asked. "After 400 years? What happened to 'live your life as you choose?'"
"The choice is yours. But would you take that choice away from others?"
Hob sat on what Morpheus just said for a good 10 seconds as he did make a solid point there. And then he turned to Dream and simply said:
"I'll consider your advice."
Gadling then gave Dream a little wink.
"I saw a production of King Lear yesterday." Hob said, sipping his tea. "Mrs. Siddons as Goneril. Idiots have given it a happy ending."
"That will not last." Dream said. "The great stories will always return to their original forms."
"That lad, Will Shakespeare…" Hob said with a grin. "He turned out to be a half-decent playwright after all. You made some kind of deal with him, didn't you?"
"Perhaps."
"What kind of deal? His soul?"
"Nothing so crude." Dream stated. Gadling chuckled.
"400 years now, I've been meeting you here and there is so much I still don't know. Who are you? Truly? What's your name?"
Once again, Dream stared at him for 3 seconds, before finally deciding to give in and answer his question. But before he was about to say anything, he and Hob heard cackling.
"I might ask you fucking blokes the same bloody question!"
A man in black clothing then came into the picture alongside two other men dressed in similar clothing. Noticeably, they all had very… interesting features to their faces. They had very pronounced brow ridges, yellow eyes, no eyebrows, and razor sharp upper teeth. What exactly were these gentlemen? Were they even human at all?
"Do not even dare to get up." The leading man said. "My name is Noah, and these are my partners, Michael and Tobias. Smugglers by trade, although we're only too glad to augment our earnings by drinking fresh blood. If you move so much as an inch, we'll drink yours."
Dream and Gadling were confused about what the man just said. Drinking fresh blood? Are these men… Vampires?!
"They tell of a tale in these London parts that the Devil and a wandering Jew meet once every century in a tavern." Noah continued as he reached for his pocket and took out a card of sorts. "Two years past, sewn into the shirt of a fellow Vamp, we found this."
Noah then placed the card onto the table. Morpheus and Hob then took a good look at the contents and noticed that it was a drawing… of themselves?
"Is that meant to be me?" Hob asked. "I look terrible. You look worse."
"You return to this pub every hundred years, striking bargains with men, sharing gifts, immortality… which you'll now share with us… the Order of Aurelius."
There was a moment of silence when Dream stared at the Vampire for 10 seconds.
"What? Nothing?" Noah asked.
"I am no Devil." Morpheus replied.
"And I'm not Jewish." Gadling added.
"What bloody creatures are you then?" Noah inquired. "I can see there is so much you can tell us. So much our Master can learn. So how would you like to join our Order?"
"No." Dream declined. "No, I think not."
"Oh well. Boys, fuck him up." Noah ordered.
"Not on my watch!"
Now Playing: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Main Theme
Dream, Hob, and the Vampires then turned around to see a woman with brown eyes, long brown hair, wearing a hooded cloak and a red and white gown. In her left hand looked to be some sort of wooden stake. The Vampires widened their eyes as they quickly realized who this woman was.
"Oh shit, it's the Slayer!" Noah exclaimed. "Get her!"
The other two Vampires then roared like a tiger as they ran up towards the so-called Slayer, attempting to scratch her with their nails, but she quickly dodged them by jumping in the air! Landing on the ground, she gave one of the Vampires, Michael, two kicks to the face before punching him in the stomach and knocking him straight to the ground.
The Slayer then turned to the other Vampire, Tobias, as he tried to tackle her, but she grabbed him and threw him to the ground as well right next to his partner. She then ran up to both of them and stabbed them with her stake… and they both turned to dust!
The woman then turned her attention to Noah, ready to take him out as well. But then she got interrupted.
"Wait."
Dream then walked up to Noah and stretched out his hand and blew his sand dust at the Vampire, causing his eyes to whiten out and him to fall onto the floor.
"No… Please…" Noah stammered. "I didn't… d-do… anything… to…"
"What did you do to him?" the woman asked Dream.
"He has old ghosts that I have shown to him." Dream replied. "What is your name?"
"Lady Johanna Constantine, the Vampire Slayer." Johanna answered.
"You need not have come to my defense."
"Really?" Johanna inquired. "After I saved your bloody life?"
"She does have a point." Hob agreed. "I definitely don't want to be drinking here alone in 100 years' time."
Dream nodded in understanding and then turned to Johanna.
"Promise me you won't tell others about our meetings?"
"I can't keep any promises…" Constantine said. "But I'll try my fucking best."
With that, Johanna then left the scene, leaving Dream and Gadling alone in the tavern…
Now
"Huh, so my ancestor was a Slayer, eh?" John remarked, after hearing Dream's story. "Never would've even imagined."
Just then, Constantine spotted an apartment far ahead.
"Stop the car!"
Lucifer did as Constantine instructed, and then the four all stepped out of the vehicle and started walking down the street.
"So, you have an idea where your old girlfriend might be?" Lucifer asked John.
"I've only been there once, but her home is just around the corner." Constantine replied.
"Who is she?" Dream asked.
"Her name is Rachel, Rachel Moodie." Constantine explained.
"Does she deal with magic as well?"
"God no." John said. "No, she's actually a decent person. Proper job, nice family. Fuckin' hated all the magic stuff."
"Well, I definitely don't blame her." Gibb muttered.
"And yet you left the sand with her." Dream said.
"No, I did not leave it with her. Sort of left it. And her." Constantine corrected.
Dream then looked at Constantine for a moment, before the exorcist explained his story.
"We had a fling last year, and she was staying at my place for a week. She interpreted that as us living together, which we weren't, so… 1 night, I went on a job… and then I came back… and she was gone. And took everything. My telly, stereo, old magazines, anything that she could find and turn into money. Still didn't think about that pouch though."
"Love never really ends well." Gibb murmured, thinking back to her own past relationships, including one Trey Cooper.
"No, I suppose it doesn't." Dream replied.
"Here's what you need to know about me: people around me tend to get ripped in half or cast down to Hell. It was most likely safer for her if I left." John continued, as they all had reached the front door of the apartment.
"Did you tell her that?" Morpheus asked.
"No. I suppose I have to now." Constantine sighed, staring at the apartment. "This is her. Or at least it used to be, it's been 6 months, maybe she might've moved house. Please, have moved house."
Constantine then walked up to the door, and took a good look at the names on the buzzer… and well, as luck would have it, he instantly saw Rachel's name.
"Oh, bollocks."
John then pressed the button behind Rachel's name, and then waited for any response.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and she won't be-"
Buzz!
Suddenly, the buzzer went off, confusing Constantine.
"That's weird. She didn't even ask who it is." Constantine commented.
"Maybe she's expecting someone." Gibb said, to which Constantine glared at her. "This could get awkward."
"Wait here." John announced.
"I'm coming with you." Dream quickly said.
"No, you're not." Constantine shot down. "Do you have any idea how much she probably hates me right now? Do you have any ex-girlfriends?"
"I will not wait long."
"You won't have too. She's gonna slam the door in my face like I'm about to do to you… right now."
With that, Constantine entered the building and slammed the door.
"Was he always like this?" Dream asked.
"Yeah. Typical Johnny." Lucifer sighed.
Now Playing: "Johanna and Rachel" from The Sandman Season 1 OST
Constantine took a deep breath and then started walking his way up the stairs. It was a very long way up, but eventually, he'd made it. As he stood at the door he was looking for, he then decided to once again compose himself.
"Just get on with it, John."
With that, John lightly knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open it.
And then, the door swung open, revealing a light-skinned woman with curly black hair and wearing nothing but a nightgown. The woman was very surprised to see the demonologist.
"Oh my God."
"Hiya, Rach." Constantine greeted, nervously.
"What are you doing here?" Rachel Moodie asked.
"I probably should've called… first. Sorry, um…"
Constantine and Rachel then stared at each other for a good 10 seconds, with John feeling some uneasy tension between the two.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"I had all of these, um… things planned, what I wanted to say." Constantine said, still nervous.
"Go on then. Don't let me stop you." Rachel offered, smiling.
"You look well." Constantine complimented.
"You look well." Rachel repeated.
John froze, still feeling a bit of uneasiness.
"Uh, right, well, um…" Constantine stammered. "Sorry to bother you, I left some things behind when we broke up, and I was wondering if-"
"Did we… break up… exactly?" Moodie inquired.
"Yeah. Uh, no, fair point. That was bad of me, and.. wrong. I should have phoned or at least texted."
"Do you wanna come in? And apologize properly?" Rachel asked.
That question surprised Constantine a bit, as he was expecting Rachel to just wail on him for how he abandoned her and then immediately slam the door on him. But… no, it seemed like… she wasn't angry at him at all. What was this?
This felt weird to John. But you know what? Sod it, he figured why not embrace it?
"Sure."
Meanwhile, back outside, Dream, Lucifer, and Gibb were seen standing in the middle in the rain. Luckily, Morningstar had spare umbrellas for all three of them (not that Dream needed one anyway). From there, Gibb decided to ask Dream something that had been on her mind for the past few hours.
"So, do you know Freddy Krueger?" Gibb asked, getting Morpheus' attention. "Child killer… burned by parents… Dream Demon?"
"I am aware of that individual, yes." Dream replied.
"Well, a few years back, Lucifer told me about the story of your imprisonment and that your capture pretty much led to the Dream Demons giving him power and murdering teens in their sleep." Gibb continued. "Is all of that true? Was your imprisonment really the reason why I had to deal with that psychopath more times than I want to count?"
Dream looked down at the ground, thinking long and hard about Smith's question.
"That connection goes much deeper than that, Gabrielle." Morpheus started. "Those Dream Demons as you call them… were the children of a rogue Nightmare of mine."
"What?" Gibb asked, flabbergasted.
"He called himself the Corinthian, and he was actually the reason why I had gotten captured. You see, he had escaped the Dreaming and proceeded to kill mortals of the waking world for his own pleasure. And so, I had to leave my kingdom to stop him and return him back to the Dreaming, and I almost did… but then at that moment was when my capture happened."
"Oh damn, I had completely forgotten about that little detail in the story." Lucifer muttered. Dream then continued the story.
"After I was imprisoned, the Corinthian used that to his advantage and birthed these nightmarish creatures with the appearance of a terrifying snake, and ordered them to kill as many mortals as possible, all while they were still suffering from what you call encephalitis lethargica. But they could not kill on their own, so they needed to find the perfect vessel to do their bidding. And then they found it in one Frederick Krueger. And then his murder spree left the Corinthian satisfied for over 30 years."
Dream closed his eyes, still having haunting memories of being imprisoned. And then just sitting in his cage while sensing the world suffering in his absence. And also sensing mortals being killed in their sleep, specifically during the 1980s, and even one incident in the 2000s, and even one from the last decade. Feeling these mortals dying left and right had saddened Morpheus while he was caged, as well as Freddy Krueger abusing the Dreaming for his own twisted pleasure. In a way, now that he thought about it, Krueger killing mortals in their dreams may have been one of the many things that led to Dream's kingdom crumbling into a complete wasteland. And the Sandman felt like it was partially his fault given that he was the one who created the Corinthian in the first place.
Gibb, meanwhile, stood there utterly speechless by this backstory. All this time, the reason why she had to deal with Freddy for pretty much most of her adult life, as well as her hometown dealing with him for the past 30 years… was all because of the Sandman's own creation. She felt… disturbed by this.
"So… does that make you Freddy's… grandfather?" Gibb asked, still shocked.
"Perhaps, it does." Dream replied.
"My God…" Smith gasped. "So, had that whole thing never happened, and you did capture this… Corinthian… then Freddy would've never haunted me or my town for as long as he did… Do you ever think about that?"
"All the time…"
Just then, Dream looked up at the apartment building.
"Dream? What's the matter?" Lucifer asked.
"We have to go inside. Now."
Back with Constantine and Rachel, they were seen making out with each other up against a wall. But then as they were kissing, Rachel asked John a question:
"Shall we, um, take this apology to the bedroom?"
"Eh, I suppose why not." Constantine shrugged, walking to the bedroom. "It's going well, isn't it?"
"Yes, but you have a lot to apologize for," Rachel said, stopping the exorcist in his tracks. Oh boy, this was what John feared would happen.
"I know." John sighed.
"The night you left-"
"Rach." Constantine said, walking up to Moodie.
"When you left that night…"
"Do we have to?"
"... And you didn't come home," Rachel continued. "I was terrified."
"I'm sorry." John apologized.
"I called everyone. Chas and Renee, Gibb. I even called your exes."
"You did not…" Constantine remarked. "Which ones?"
"Desmond. Anne Marie. And Zatanna." Rachel counted.
"Oh, shit." Constantine muttered. But then, Rachel shedded a tear.
"But they all told me to just get over you… Because you're a selfish, ruthless coward…"
As Moodie was still talking, Constantine noticed that Rachel started to look… off… as if she was turning into dust.
"...Who ruins everything he touches."
And then John saw what looked like three figures opening the door, as Rachel continued morphing into sand dust… and then faded away…
"Rach." Constantine murmured, horrified at what he just saw.
"Constantine. Wake up."
Suddenly, Constantine opened his eyes and saw Dream, Lucifer, and Gibb standing right in front of him.
"John, are you alright?" Gibb asked as the three started walking up towards him.
"What the bloody Hell did you do to me?" Constantine asked the Sandman.
"It was the sand." Dream explained.
"Where's Rachel?"
Constantine stared at Dream for a good 3 seconds, before turning to Rachel's door.
"Rachel? You here?" Constantine asked, opening the door. And what he and everyone else saw inside absolutely horrified them.
"Rach?"
"John? John, is that you?"
Rachel Moodie was seen laying in her bed… looking very worse for wear. She was completely dehydrated, skin was pale, parts of her hair were missing, and she was skinny as bones. In her hand was a leather pouch filled with sand. But… no, that was the least of Constantine's worries right now.
"That's such a wonderful dream…"
Constantine walked up to Rachel's bed to take a closer look at her. Gibb, Lucifer, and Dream then proceeded to follow suit.
"Oh my Dad." Lucifer murmured, also mortified by the sight.
"What's happened to her?" Gibb asked.
"It was not meant for humans." Morpheus said, taking the pouch out of Rachel's hand.
"No, no! No, give it back!" Rachel whimpered, but it was too late. "Please… It hurts…"
Gibb saw the pain that Rachel was currently going through right now, and couldn't help but wince. In some ways, it reminded her of what it looked like in the real world when Freddy Krueger murdered teenagers in their dreams.
"We can go." Dream announced, causing Gibb and Constantine to turn to him.
"What?" Smith asked. "No, we can't go. We can't just leave her like this."
"We can't help her. The sand was the only thing keeping her alive."
Gibb walked up to Morpheus with a stern look on her face.
"You have to do something." Gibb said. "If it wasn't for your sand, this poor innocent soul wouldn't be suffering like this."
"I'm not the one who left her with it." Dream retorted.
"What is wrong with you?" Gibb asked, aghast after Dream said that. "You wanted your sand back, so that we can save humanity from the plague, well here she is!"
Lucifer stood there surprised as Gibb snapped at Dream.
"But I guess we're all just Roderick Burgess to you… All you care about is your sand… Your power… You're honestly not much better than Freddy Krueger… or the Cornthian… What is the point of you?"
Dream stood in silence after Gibb had called him out, thinking long and hard about this. As he was thinking and stared at Rachel, he realized… yes… maybe he was being a little cruel with this action. After all, mortals suffering for the past century was all because of cruel actions by untrusting sorcerers, and yet, he was just as cruel as those people. So, he had to think of something to amend this action.
"Hold on." Lucifer sighed, before walking over to Rachel, and then proceeded to stare into her eyes.
"Tell me, what is it that you desire?"
Moodie stared at the Devil's eyes for a good 2 seconds before speaking:
"I… want… to be… with Constantine…"
Morningstar gave Rachel one last look at the ill woman, before turning back to Dream. The Sandman then stepped forward towards the bed and stared at Constantine.
"Wait outside." Dream insisted.
"Actually, l suggest having him say a few words to her first." Gibb said.
"Very well, then."
"Thanks, Gibbie." Constantine said to his friend, and Smith nodded.
With that, Constantine sat on Rachel's bed, and looked into her ill eyes.
"Rach…"
"I'm so sorry, John. I'm so sorry." Rachel murmured.
"No, no, you did nothing wrong." Constantine whispered. "It's my fault. All of it. Should never have left it with you… Should never have left."
"Well, you came back, though. Didn't you?" Rachel wheezed. Constantine nodded.
Dream, Gibb, and Lucifer looked at this visual with remorse in their eyes. Gibb, specifically because it had been a long time since she saw John feeling this much guilt. The last time she remembered seeing him like this… was actually the first time they met 7 years ago, during their encounter with Freddy Krueger. At that time, Constantine still had regret over failing to save young Astra Logue after being possessed by the demon known as Damballa, and then having her be banished to Hell by a more powerful demon named Nergal. And this was only a year prior to John meeting Gibb, so that memory was still very fresh in his mind, to the point where Freddy actually mentally tortured the exorcist with it. Of course, Astra was brought back 2 years later after Damballa was destroyed for good, and both Constantine and Gibb visit her occasionally, but still, Smith couldn't help but think about that period in John's life when staring at him comforting Rachel.
With that, Constantine then proceeded to give Moodie a small kiss on her forehead, and then hopped off of her bed and walked away from the room.
"Alright, Sandman. Work your magic." Gibb said.
Dream then stepped forward, and reached for his pouch and grabbed a handful of sand. And then hovered his hand over Rachel's ill body… and then sprinkled the dust on her face.
And then, Rachel gasped, as her body was brought back to good health, and she had the most wonderful dream…
Rachel found herself in the middle of the park, with Constantine right beside her as the two were having a picnic together. Rachel smiled at the sight of John, and John returned the smile for her.
And then the two share a loving and passionate kiss…
Rachel smiled, having seemed to relax after the dream… before she closed her eyes… peacefully passing away.
Rachel Moodie was no more…
Dream, Gibb, and Lucifer then walked out of the apartment and saw Constantine standing in the middle of the rain with his hands in his pocket. Dream then stared at Constantine for a good 5 seconds, but Constantine had a feeling what the Sandman's look meant.
"She died in peace. In her sleep."
"I figured." John murmured. "After this whole debacle is over, I'll let Dad know."
Morpheus nodded, before walking back over to Lucifer's black car, with Gibb following him.
"Tell me, was your sister there?" Constantine asked Lucifer.
"No, Azrael only helps with sending souls to Heaven." Lucifer replied. "What surprised him though was that the shrouds didn't appear. But honestly, after you had cheated them out of Ritchie's soul twice, they probably wouldn't want to screw with you now."
"What I don't understand is why they're trying to drag Ritchie's soul into Hell in the first place." Constantine wondered. "My soul is much more damned than his."
"Maybe there might be something we don't know about… something he might be hiding from us…" Lucifer guessed, to which Constantine nodded in agreement.
With that, the exorcist and the Devil walked back to Morningstar's car, and then Lucifer stepped on the gas. And the four of them were on their way back to Georgia…
A/N: Okay, so... yes, Alice Pierce is now currently a Vampire Slayer. This story takes place during Buffy Season 6, but I am planning on doing an adaptation of Buffy Season 5, that will explain how she got activated, as well as the origins of her relationship with Dawn Summers. I am admittedly still on Season 4 of Buffy (I'd actually worked on "Enter Buffy" immediately after finishing Season 3), so that summary was only based on everything I had heard about that Season. But hopefully it was accurate enough.
Also, I made Constantine's ancestor, Lady Johanna Constantine, a past Slayer. But that was actually a bit of a last minute decision, because from what I've heard, the show doesn't often show the previous Slayers that came before Buffy, so I've figured why not. And it was always my plan to include a Johanna flashback anyway, because it sets up a big revelation that will connect Dream, John, and Alice, which shall be revealed in the next chapter.
And then we have the connection between Dream and Freddy Krueger. I've always thought it made perfect sense to tie the two together, given that they both deal with dreams, so I had already set up this backstory way back in "Enter Gibb". However, after watching the Sandman series as well as some conversations with PotCFan101, I've decided to expand on this by revealing that the Corinthian was actually the father of the Dream Demons that gave Freddy his power. So in a way, Dream is Freddy's in-direct grandfather. Now I was going back-and-forth on whether or not say that the Corinthian birthed the Dream Demons by himself, or perhaps mated with a Dark One from the Evil Dead franchise or possibly even an Old One from the Buffyverse. But I figured it made more sense to have the Corinthian birth them by himself, because based on the show, he doesn't seem to be that old, maybe 1,000 years at most, so it wouldn't be possible for him to have ever met the Dark Ones or Old Ones.
Also, side note: I've not found one crossover story between the Sandman and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Especially not on this site. It's weird because those are some of the easiest franchises to crossover, yet no one has done it. What the heck, Fanfiction writers.
Lastly, I love Matthew, he's easily one of my favorite characters in the Sandman, but I just couldn't be able to find a way to fit him in this story. It's pretty much why I had Lucifer take his place in the Hell chapter, while Cain took Sandman Lucifer's place. So, sorry Matthew fans.
Anyways, that's all from me now. I'll see you guys next time in the next chapter!