Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Boss, wake up.” Matthew nudged the Sandman who laid prone on the ground.

“We gotta get you out of here. Gotta get your ruby back.” Matthew pecked Lord Morpheus with his beak, but his efforts in vain. Dream was out cold.

Matthew continued fluttering his wings and calling to his lord for more than an hour. Matthew had grown weary and had nestled himself under Dream’s arm when there was a sudden flash of light.

Matthew tried to protect the King of Dreams by spreading his ebony wings over the pale figure. To his surprise and relief, it was Joanna Constantine. She knelt beside Morpheus and began checking his pulse. She nodded, appealingly satisfied with its rhythm, and proceeded to stroke Matthew’s wings.

“You’re a good bird, you know that?” Matthew cawed in response. “You’re a good bird for not leaving his side.”

Joanna removed some chalk from her bag and began tracing runes around Dream’s form. Reciting an incantation, the three beings were hurtled through space. Matthew found himself, alongside Dream, on the floor of Joanna’s apartment.

Joanna removed Dream’s shoes and then dragged him to the bed. She hoisted his legs onto her bed and took great care to ensure that the remainder of his body followed suit. When he was fully horizontal, she placed a pillow under his bed and covered him with a sheet. Checking his temperature and his pulse, she nodded again.

She closed the door to the bedroom and tiresomely made her way to the kitchen. Matthew watched as she poured herself a drink. She sighed as she collapsed onto the couch.

“What have you gotten yourself into this time, Dream?”

Chapter Text

Dream could not recall the last time when he had laid on a bed this soft. At first, when he had woken up, he thought he was imprisoned again and had panicked until he noticed the blankets that had been carefully tucked around him. There was no circle binding him. There were no shackles in sight. Morning sunlight warmed his face. He had forgotten how much he loved the sun’s warmth.

He was safe.

The apartment smelled of herbs and liquor: a unique combination that Dream associated with the 16th century. Overwhelmed with nostalgia, Dream allowed himself to lose himself in memories.

“You’re awake.”

Dream shot up to find Joanna Constantine leaning against the bedroom doorframe. Her arms were crossed, and her posture suggested a defensive stance. Her eyes, however, shone with relief.

Dream had difficulty holding himself up. Arms shaking, he sank back into the pillows.

“Easy, tiger.” Joanna moved to help him lay down. “I found you unconscious in a storage unit. Care to explain?”

Dream was silent. He wasn’t sure whether he should tell Joanna the whole truth.

“Boss! Boss, you’re awake!” A flurry of dark feathers came hurtling through the doorway and Matthew perched himself on Dream’s shoulder.

Joanna smiled. “Your friend seems rather pleased to see you well.”

“He’s rather protective of me. I’ve asked him to stop following me on a number of occasions and he just keeps stalking me.”

“He’s keeping you safe.” Joanna stroked the bird’s wing.

“Proper stalker he is.”

Matthew pecked at Dream’s hand in response to this last comment.

“Seriously, though, I need to know. What happened? Are there people after you who are going to come after me? Did you piss off another one of your siblings and we’re headed into the next apocalypse? Any more demons I need to exorcise? You gotta give me something to work with here.”

“No demons,” he said quietly. “I won that battle.” Dream looked down.

Joanna quirked an eyebrow. “So you fought a demon.”

“I fought Lucifer.”

“You fought Lucifer. You fought Lucifer Morningstar. You fought Lucifer Morningstar and won?”

“I did,” Dream laughed nervously.

“Okay. I’ll need more details on that later, but how did you end up in a storage unit ?”

“I needed my ruby, and my ruby was in that storage unit.”

“Did you get your ruby back?”

Dream looked away again. “It was… altered. I don’t remember. I remember feeling it was different. It was wrong.”

Dream paused for a moment.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I just remember waking up here. How did you find me?”

“I placed a protective spell on you before we parted that would alert me if you were ever severely injured. I didn’t expect it would be needed so soon, so I thought something was wrong with the spell when I felt it tug. I used astral projection to check on you. You were unconscious and your raven was frantic. I used my family’s runes to teleport to the storage unit and got you and Matthew out of there as fast as I could.”

Dream seemed to have trouble comprehending this information. “Why would you do that?”

“Why would I do what? Place a protective spell on someone I care about to make sure they’re safe?”

“I mean- Why would you care about me ?” Dream brought his knees up to his chest. “I killed your lover.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“I looked up your Sand in my family’s archives. You were right. It should never have been left in human hands, and I was an idiot for leaving it with her.” Joanna left the room and returned with an enormously large bottle of gin.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Morpheus whispered as Joanna took a swig from the bottle.

“It wasn’t your fault either.”

They sat in companionable silence, and the King of Dreams felt his eyes start to close.

“Rest, Dream.” Joanna turned out the light.

Chapter Text

It was dark. Dream couldn’t see anything.

It reminded him too much of the basement of Roderick Burgess.

I must be back in the glass sphere.

Despite the soft blankets, the darkness kicked Dream’s nervous system into overdrive, and his fight or flight reaction took over. He strained his arms and pushed himself to a sitting position.

I can’t be here. I need to get out.

Dream pressed his feet to the ground and forced himself to stand upright.

The room began to spin, but he took a weak step forward.

The Dreaming cannot be left alone again.

He took another step forward.

“I… must… escape...”

The room continued to spin, and his foot slipped. He tried to stop his fall with his hands, but he ended up colliding into the nightstand.

—————————————————————-

Joanna Constantine had been watching the evening news when she heard a loud crash. While she was concerned for the King of Dreams who was recovering in the adjacent bedroom, she was more concerned by what she was seeing on the news.

Insomnia plagues the nation. People are so sleep deprived that they are hallucinating.

Joanna turned up the volume.

People are reporting odd personality changes.

Joanna reluctantly turned off the television and went to investigate the clamor coming from her bedroom.

When she opened the door, she couldn’t see anything at first until she flipped the light switch. The bed was empty, but she spotted her guest lying on the floor in a mess of blankets. He was blinking rapidly in a dazed state.

“Tried to get up, eh?”

He was breathing harshly. “I need to find my ruby. I need to rebuild the Dreaming. I need to stop the nightmares.”

“Okay, tough guy, I’m sure you’ll do all that in the morning, but right now I think you need to sleep.”

She offered her hand, but he pulled away from her.

“I need to find my ruby.” He kept muttering the same phrases in an endless loop. “Need to rebuild the Dreaming. Stop the nightmares.”

She wondered if his absence had anything to do with the things she saw on the news.

“You will. You’ll stop the nightmares, but right now you’re not in any shape to fight anyone.”

“I fought Lucifer Morningstar.”

“I know you did, and you won. But you’re weak right now and you need time to recover.”

“Time…”

“That’s right: you need time.”

He allowed her to guide him back to a standing position and they made their way back to the bed. He heavily sat down, and she leaned him back against the pillows.

He grasped her hand. “What about humanity? I’ve been gone so long…”

“And we’ll all be fine a few days more. You were gone- what, a century? What’s a few days compared to a century’s worth of absence? A few days won’t make much of a difference.”

She wondered if what she was saying was true given the uptick in recent crimes. She knew that Dream would be unable to do much in his current state, so she bit her tongue as she continued with the white lies.

“Rest another few days, and then I’ll help you to get your ruby. You’ll rebuild the Dreaming and you’ll catch those nightmares. But for now, you need rest.”

He nodded weakly and closed his eyes.

She looked at him. She knew he was an Endless, but he looked so fragile at that moment. An immortal creature, and yet gravity and a renegade blanket had caused him to stumble.

Joanna returned to her place on the couch and turned the television back on.

Fires have broken out all over the city.

Robberies are at an all-time high.

She hoped that he would forgive her when he saw the world literally on fire.

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, Joanna’s concern grew as she listened to the local news.

A double homicide was reported on West Street this afternoon. Zero warning signs.

She took another swig of gin.

She closed her eyes against the gory images onscreen and curled herself into the fetal position. Her feet dangled off the small loveseat sofa on which she had been sleeping the past few nights.

She wondered how long she could keep the King of Dreams away from his kingdom… and how long humanity could survive in his absence.

“Is that comfortable?” a voice whispered.

She whirled her head around to see the Sandman standing beside the couch with a questioning look on his face.

“You’re awake!”

“I am.”

“I wasn’t sure when you were up to walking yet. No nasty tumble into the nightstand this time?”

Dream smirked. “Not this time.” His eyes moved to the television. “What’s happening?”

“Nothing you need to be concerned about at the moment.” She hit the power button on the remote. “How are you feeling?”

He looked pensively at his hands. “Better.”

She nodded. “How about we go make some tea and biscuits?”

He smiled. “Tea and biscuits would be lovely.”

Chapter Text

Dream followed Joanna Constantine into the kitchen.

It was a galley-style kitchen with a small table by the end of the counter. The sink was full of dishes. A half-dead plant was sprawled by the window.

Dream sank into a chair at the small table.

“Do you care what type of tea?” Joanna asked as she put the kettle on.

“No,” replied Dream as he thought for a moment. “It’s been a while since I’ve had any type of tea.”

“Earl Grey it is then. I prefer the bergamot flavoring.” Joanna pulled two teacups from a cabinet along with a box of sugar cubes and a quart of milk from the fridge.

They both stared at their feet while the kettle took its time heating up.

“How are you feeling?” Joanna asked, after a long period of silence.

Dream looked at her. “Better. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“No trouble really. I’d do it again for an old family friend.” Joanna quirked a smile.

Dream’s lips tugged up in response.

“How are you really feeling, though? Headache, dizziness, nausea…?”

Dream thought for a moment. “Better. Headache is still there, limbs still feel heavy. Nausea is less, dizziness is less.”

“Good. That means your concussion is improving.”

The kettle began whistling, and Joanna poured their cups of tea. She handed one cup to Dream, and took the other cup with her to the other seat at the table.

She looked pointedly at Dream. “How do you like the Bergamot?”

“It is…” He paused and inhaled the vapors slowly. “delightful.”

Joanna nodded, then took a sip from her own tea cup.

After some time, Joanna leaned back in her chair and asked, “So you wanna tell me about that duel with Lucifer Morningstar or am I supposed to just keep guessing?”

Dream sputtered into his drink. “Yes… I can explain that.”

Joanna waited. Dream remained silent for several moments.

She tried again. “Did you go down to Hell, or did he come up here?”

“I went down to Hell. He.. had my mask. Or rather, one of his demons had my helm.”

“Why didn’t you just take it from the demon?”

“I couldn’t… Lucifer declared a trial, and Lucifer was made the demon’s champion. Which meant that I had to fight Lucifer to get my helm back.”

“What weapons did he use?”

“He didn’t, really…”

“So he just beat you up then? Have you some nasty bruises and a concussion, and called it a day?”

“I think the concussion is from being knocked back by the ruby.”

“Right… We’ll get to that. So Lucifer Morningstar just let you walk into Hell, take your helm, and walk out of there without a scratch?”

“We decided on a game of wits: the age-old ‘I am…’ It causes the opponent to feel the effects of the subject, and they must then counter by becoming something that will defeat the initial subject. Lucifer became a flesh-eating bacterium which tore significantly away at my life force, especially with my body as weak as it is.”

“How did you overcome that?”

“I became a world, life nurturing, all sustaining.”

“And that was the end?”

“No… Lucifer became a Nova and shattered my world.”

“What were you then, King of Dreams?”

Dream smiled. “I am hope.”

“Hope,” Joanna repeated.

They looked at one another, and Joanna returned Dream’s smile.