Heather didn't even realize that Notch had returned until Steve was taking her by the shoulders and steering her towards the nearest doorway.
"Huh?" She managed aloud, the word escaping in a little squeak. "What's-" Notch's voice caught her attention, and she turned, only to freeze. She only caught a glimpse, but- oh Notch that was a lot of blood. "Herobrine?"
"Heather-" Steve was cut off as she slipped past him, bolting to her husband's side where Notch was placing him down on a pair of wool blocks. The Creator glanced down at her, then frowned.
"Steve, bring her elsewhere."
"I tried!" The miner protested as she took in the damage to her husband. His face was completely covered in blood, bad enough that she wasn't sure exactly where it was coming from, and both his hands were punctured with bloody, open wounds. Heather pressed a hand over her mouth. She really hoped she wasn't going to be sick.
"Wh-what-" She stammered, but Notch pointed firmly towards the exit.
"Go."
"What happened?!"
"Go. I will treat him, but I need you to not be underfoot." She was frozen, unsure how to protest, and by the time she had come to her senses she was being led from the room once more.
Heather let Steve herd her into the other room, where he sat her down by the wall and sank to his knees beside her. He looked at her face, then frowned, and it's then that she realized that there were tears slipping down her cheeks.
The miner opened his arms, inviting her into a hug, and she collapsed into him as a sob worked its way out of her throat. He placed one hand on her head, rubbing her hair a little bit as she buried her face in his shoulder.
"It's okay, Notch will fix him up, I promise." He told you softly. She sniffled.
"I-I know." A humorless laugh escaped her. "N-not sure why 'm crying. Shock, I guess."
"No, no, I understand, it's- it was a sight, for sure." Steve patted her back, then loosened his grip as she pushed herself away. "Let's find Alex, okay? Give Notch some room to work." She could only give him a teary nod.
The panic and shock had numbed by the time she made it out of the room, holding Steve's hand as they made their way down a corridor. Now, the only thing she felt was the faint buzz of anxiety.
Heather had become slightly more familiar with this area in recent years, and knew that Steve was leading her towards a portal to Alex's base. The portals in Notch's base were… strange, often weird colors and patterns, probably just because the creator had gotten bored. Alex's portal was a striking red, with red sparkles floating around it as it came into view. All she could think about was Herobrine's blood, coating his face and clothes.
Steve guided her through the shimmering portal, and she bumped straight into Alex.
"Hey!" She exclaimed as Heather stopped short, clutching Steve's hands as she peered up at her. "Steve? Heather? What are you doin' here, hon?"
"We just need to wait here for a minute." Steve responded quietly. "Herobrine's badly hurt, Notch asked me to take her away." The thought of it sent tears springing to her eyes once more as Alex frowned.
"What happened?"
"Do you remember Null?"
"All black, right? With white eyes? Never met him, but heard about him." Alex nodded.
"He's back."
"Oh." Her frown turned into a grimace. "That's not good." She cast a glance at Heather, hastily brushing away stubborn tears. She could assume she was already emotional- usually even something like this wouldn't garner this weepy of a reaction. "Well, come inside. I just baked some cake if you want some." Heather nodded, drying the remains of her tears on her sleeves. Sugar was a cure for everything.
Ten minutes later, she found herself poking morosely at a slice of cake when Notch appeared by the doorway. Immediately, Heather shot to her feet, barely noticing when the back of her chair slammed against the ground behind her.
"He's awake." Notch reported, sighing at her distressed face. "You may see him if you wish." That's all the invitation Heather needed, grabbing Steve's hand and disappearing back into the portal with her friend in tow.
Herobrine still lay prone on the pair of wool blocks (they were pink, she now noticed, but stained red and brown from his blood), but his eyes were open. That is, one was. The other was wrapped in bandages, and Heather's stomach dropped as she realized that must have been the source of the blood.
"Herobrine?" She spoke up timidly, and his head lifted from the makeshift mattress.
"Hey." He greeted her hoarsely, and she bolted over, releasing Steve to give her husband a hug. He let out a little grunt as she threw her arms around him, but didn't flinch, laying one arm over her back. Heather could feel thick fabric wrapped around his hands as well, and winced, pulling away.
"How are you- are you feeling okay?" She chattered nervously. His clothes were still soaked in blood (and so were hers, now, to a degree), but his hands and eye were bandaged firmly. The flow of blood seemed to have stopped for now. Herobrine managed a half smile, half grimace.
"Better than I was. Notch took awfully good care of me." His gaze shifted to behind her, and Heather turned to see the creator standing by the doorway. Notch caught her gaze, then promptly looked away.
"What- what happened back there?" Heather turned back to her husband, not really wanting to know but morbidly curious at the same time.
"Null overpowered me." The words escaped him in a sigh. "He ruined my teleportation, somehow- pinned me to the ground with an arrow and took me down. I'm amazed he didn't kill me." Her face screwed up as she considered this.
"I… y-yeah. He can't have- if you were out when Notch found you, he could've easily finished you off, right?" Just saying the words seemed to steal her breath away.
Herobrine nodded. "I don't recall much after being stabbed in the eye."
"Oh." Her gaze immediately returned to his bandaged face.
"For Null to have not killed you, I'm afraid he must have some sinister plot in mind." Notch cut in.
"Agreed." Steve came up beside her, lowering himself down onto his knees. "And for him to start with this… I can only imagine it will just get worse from here." Against her will, a shudder ran through her body from her head to her toes.
"But now that he's revealed himself, and we know he's out there," Hero continued hastily. "It will be far easier for us to thwart him."
"Heather, Herobrine, maybe you should just leave?" Steve suggested. "Back to your world. I'm sure by your next week we will have dealt with him, and you two are in much more danger given that you can only die once." Heather hesitated. The thought was compelling...
"Heather?" Her husband prompted. "It's up to you. I will take us back if you wish."
"Mmph. I can't." She bit her lip. "That feels- I guess, just selfish. For us to leave Notch and Steve and Alex to deal with it."
"Perhaps you can contact Theo to help, then." Herobrine suggested. "I imagine he would have a far easier time with Null, perhaps he can seal him away." He eyed Notch. "Like he once did with us."
"That's- yeah, a good idea." She nodded, feeling a little bit more confident. "Okay. We'll go back, send him a message, then come right back here?"
"If that is what you wish." Getting an arm behind him, Herobrine pushed himself up onto an elbow, scowling as his arm sank into the soft wool. "It may have to wait, though."
"Of course, yeah." A jerky nod followed her response. Teleporting from one dimension to another was an ordeal already, and while near-gravely injured…
"Do you wish to return to your mansion?" Notch spoke up, monotone. "Or would you rather stay here?"
"I would rather stay." Herobrine replied with a grimace. "I do not intend on bringing my fiancée anywhere near that maniac."
"You could stay with me, if that would make you more comfortable." Steve suggested. "Or, even Alex, if she should be alright with it."
"Can we stop by the mansion, at least?" Heather broke in. "To get clothes… and things."
"Of course."
"Where is the Enderman?" Notch interrupted. "Manfred, I believe you call him." Heather's startled eyes met her husband's, the expression mirrored in his own.
"Where is Manfred?"
"...dna tropelet ylisae dluoc eH ?ereh namrednE na gnignirb fo secneuqesnoc eht wonk uoy oD"
"Cease your blathering. I have had 500 years to think about this, do you think I am not aware?"
Purple eyes flickered in the darkness, coming awake after a disorienting sleep. The owner tried to move, but his limbs were firmly bound in cobweb. He scowled, hissing a bit.
"!ydaerla gnikawa si eH !eeS"
"I am aware."
"!tuo skaerb eh erofeb mih htiw laeD !toidi na-"
And the voice abruptly cut off. Manfred bared his teeth, growling into the darkness.
"I can hear you, Enderman." Glowing eyes appeared across from him, narrowed into malicious slits. "Go back to sleep." His own eyes roaming through the darkness, Manfred searched for any identifiable markings, should he not be able to take the coordinates when taking his leave. Before spotting anything of the sort, however, an overwhelming drowsiness overwhelmed him, and his eyes slid shut once more.