Archive of Our Own

Technoblade is just about ready to bite someone.

The council's been arguing about what to do for three hours now and they're running out of time - every second that all of them spend sitting here throwing ideas around instead of doing something, anything, is another second that Dream has with Tommy and Tubbo, another second that two members of Techno's coven are in unimaginable danger.

"It just doesn't make sense," Sam sighs, putting his head in his hands. "Why are Sapnap and George working for him? They were two of my most loyal Guardians, there's no reason for them to have…" He trails off with another sigh.

Techno resists the urge to snap at him. Sam's been talking about Dream's two newest fledglings for half this meeting now, instead of talking about the much more pressing issue of Tommy and Tubbo being trapped with them. Yes, he gets it, Sapnap and George were Guardians of the Daylight once, they were loyal to Sam, the Warden of the Daylight, and they were good fighters and kind people and whatever else Sam's been going on about, but they disappeared almost a hundred years ago, and now they're loyal to the most dangerous vampire on the planet, which means they have to be taken out if Techno has any hope of getting Tommy and Tubbo back to the safety of his coven.

"You're right," Bad, The Archdemon of the Night, agrees, shaking his head. "They've forsaken the alliance and chosen to follow a dangerous and exiled vampire - they're not worthy of your forgiveness, nor of mine." He sighs, looking down at the table in front of them. "If anything, our best bet will likely be to kill them both before we kill Dream."

Beside Sam, one of the Guardians, Quackity, clears his throat, and Techno's eyes flick toward him expectantly, watching him look around at the gathered council.

"Bad's right," He says, and Techno feels a ripple of annoyance pass around the room at Quackity's disregard of Bad's true title. He's a young mortal, maybe 20 at the oldest, and most of Sam's Guardians have a little more reverence for the deities they serve, although Techno is far too preoccupied to care about Quackity's flagrant disrespect. "I think we really ought to rush in there, kill the three vampires, and then get the kids out before Dream has time to hurt anyone."

"That won't work," Techno growls, his entire body prickling with frustration. "You don't know Dream like I know him, he's the most powerful vampire in over a thousand years, and if he has a hostage, like he has right now, the entire city couldn't get to him."

"What does he even want?" Another vampire, this time it's Antfrost, who's sitting beside Bad on one side, and Velvet, his Sworn, on the other, comments, glancing at Techno. "Maybe if we negotiated with him…?"

Techno sighs. He appreciates Antfrost's want to find a peaceful solution, but he's not even four hundred years old, and Dream was sealed away long before he was even born. He doesn't understand the gravity of their situation - no one here understands the gravity of their situation, save Sam, Bad, and Techno himself, being the oldest vampire in the room.

Over a thousand years ago, Techno remembers it clear as moonlight, he was turned into a vampire by Dream. He'd made a dumb mistake, gone poking around where he shouldn't have, and paid the price with his mortality. For decades after that he'd been nothing but a servant, helpless to the whims and desires of his sire, and he would've stayed that way forever, had he not managed to escape one evening, when Dream had made the mistake of giving him too much to eat and enough energy to flee.

Techno remembers the night, eight hundred years ago, that the council defeated Dream the first time around, he was there, he was fighting alongside them, and he remembers the look of murderous betrayal in Dream's eyes at what he'd done, the look that screamed: This isn't over. I will make you pay for what you've done.

And now he's back, he's active, he's here, because two of Sam's idiot Guardians had gone looking for trouble and found it, and Techno knows, now, that no matter what Sam and Bad think, no matter how dedicated the council is to imprisonment rather than death, no matter how much they refuse to appoint themselves as executioners, Dream has to die.

"We can't," Phil's voice pulls Techno out of his thoughts, speaking to Antfrost with a bone-deep sense of weariness, the sort that makes Techno wish he could scoop Phil up and take him back home to their manor, to get him into the nest where it's warm and it's calm and he can make sure that he's safe. "He can't be reasoned with like that."

"He wants to hurt me," Techno adds, reaching out to hold Phil's arm under the table. Phil is his best friend, but he was also Techno's first fledgling, and some of that protective instinct will always remain. "He's wanted that for centuries, and now that he has Tommy and Tubbo…"

"He's trying to hurt you by hurting them." It's Punz this time, a vampire from Antfrost's coven, sitting beside Velvet with their eyes stormy and their jaw set, looking for all the world like they'd very much so enjoy tearing Dream limb from limb right now.

Techno doesn't blame them; he remembers Wilbur telling him that Dream and his two newest fledglings had attacked the Moonlight Gala, the one evening each year in which every undead meets to catch up with their old friends and share new stories. Techno hadn't been there - he was at home with Phil, making sure Tommy and Tubbo settled in safely - but he knows that Dream's attack had resulted in the death of Purpled, Punz's first and only fledgling.

Not to mention that, directly after that attack, Dream had slaughtered Schlatt, one of Sam's beloved Guardians and Quackity's husband, and left his eviscerated body in his and Quackity's bed, which means Quackity's desperation is fueled by just as much hurt as Punz's, which Techno can sympathize with, as annoying as his stupid ideas have been this entire meeting.

They both probably want revenge on Dream just as badly as Dream wants revenge on Techno.

"Which is why we have to get in there and kill him before he can hurt them," Quackity butts back in, laying his hands out on the table. "That or draw Dream out and kill him then."

Sam sighs, glancing up at the council with a determined expression. "That might be our best bet."

"It's too risky," Punz snaps, eyes flashing. "What we need to do is get Tommy and Tubbo to safety before we kill him. As long as he's alive, they're in danger - he's killed one teenager, he'll kill more, especially if they're under Techno's protection."

Bad waves a wing until they calm down, before looking up at Techno. "What do you think we should do? He was your sire, after all."

Techno sighs, then looks between Bad and Sam, thinking to himself for a long moment before he finally shakes his head and responds. "Punz is right. We need to mount a rescue mission before we can actually attempt a real attack."

Bad and Sam both nod, seeming satisfied, and though Quackity looks upset at the knowledge they're not going through with his idea, he relents, standing up along with the rest of the council, and following alongside Sam as he sweeps out of the room to gather his guardians. Techno watches them go, watching as Bad leaves out the other door, Ant, Velvet, and Punz on his heels. Punz turns to give Techno an apologetic, deeply miserable glance, and Techno returns it before looking away, letting out a breath.

They'll get Tommy and Tubbo out of there alive, and then Dream will be dead, and no one will have to suffer at his claws ever again.

This is going to work.

This has to work.

It has to.

— — —

"Tommy?"

Tommy groans softly at the sound of someone calling his name, refusing to open his eyes and letting out a long sigh. His head hurts, and he's tired and he just wants Techno or Phil or Wilbur or whoever that is to leave him alone so he can sleep.

"Tubbo?" The mystery voice asks, and Tommy hears Tubbo mumble something incoherent nearby, then the slight rustle of fabric as his friend shifts.

He blinks open his eyes weakly, expecting to see the soft surface of the nest, or his warm bed back in the orphanage, but instead he's greeted by a dark room, lit only faintly by light pouring in from the barred door behind him. He startles at that, sitting up suddenly and remembering where he is with a jolt in his chest.

This isn't home. This isn't the coven with Techno and Phil and Wilbur and Niki, this is- this is Dream's manor, the small interior room that he and Tubbo have been kept in for the past few days, after Dream and his two fledglings broke into the coven and abducted them.

"Oh, good, you're awake."

Tommy's eyes snap from where Tubbo is sleepily blinking awake toward the door, where a figure stands, blocking the golden lamplight spilling in from the hallway outside, his red eyes gleaming in the dimness.

Dream. Tommy thinks, horror catching in his throat, before his sleep-muddled brain manages to register that the figure standing in the doorway is too short to be the deadly, ancient vampire. George.His brain supplies, then pauses for a moment and corrects itself. No, too broad to be George. Sapnap.

Tubbo mumbles beside him, opening his eyes finally, and glancing toward the door with a gasp in his throat, sitting up and scrambling to his feet with wide eyes. Tommy follows his moves, taking a step back from the door as well, watching Sapnap hawk-eyed.

"What the fuck do you want?!" He demands, forcing the tremble out of his voice as he glares at Sapnap. Confusion blossoms in his chest when Sapnap flinches at his shout, but before he can demand Sapnap tell him what that means, the vampire reaches up to touch the doorknob.

"Can I come in?" He asks, giving them both a hopeful expression.

Tommy and Tubbo share a confused look. Sapnap is asking them if he can come into the room that they're imprisoned in. Like it's their bedroom or something, like they have any right to tell a vampire who's probably like a hundred years old what he can and can't do.

"…Why?" Tubbo finally asks, and Sapnap shuffles his feet, glancing away, before he looks up again, eyebrows furrowed.

"I, um I… need to talk to you guys," He glances down the hallway, looking a little nervous. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise, and I brought food." He holds up a hand, which is carefully clutching a small bag of what looks like jelly donuts, then looks between them anxiously and smiles. "Please?"

Tommy and Tubbo share another look, and Tommy can see anxiety in Tubbo's eyes, but beneath that is hunger, something he knows is reflected in his own gaze. They've only had stale bread and water for the past two days, which means the donuts alone are a selling point, but Sapnap…

The entire time they've been here, Sapnap has been… gentle with both of them, a sharp contrast to the way that Dream and George treat them. Sure, he's a vampire, and sure, he helped kidnap them, but the one time he grabbed Tommy was gentle, refusing to use his claws and not holding tight enough to leave bruises, he brought them an extra blanket after depositing them both in here, and the two times he's been left alone with them he seems genuinely friendly, if a bit nervous.

Which is probably why Dream doesn't trust him to guard them as much as he trusts George. Despite how generally sleepy and docile George is, Tommy gets the feeling he's conserving his energy to tear one of them to shreds should they try anything.

Dream seems to prefer George to Sapnap more overall, which is… strange, but Tommy isn't exactly about to try and unpack that one, especially when Sapnap has food.

Tommy nods to Tubbo, who sighs and looks back at Sapnap. "Sure. Come in."

Sapnap lights up, and immediately digs the claw on his index finger into the lock on the door, wiggling it around until it clicks open, before padding inside.

That's even weirder. Every time Dream or George comes to check on them, they bring a small, pale silver key to open the door, they don't just… use their claws like that.

"Here," Sapnap opens the bag and offers it to both of them, eventually noticing how nervous they are and wincing again, setting it on the ground and backing up a little, which Tommy is grateful for immediately. "These are for you, I, uh, I can't exactly eat any, so you guys can split the last one, if you want."

"Where'd you get these?" Tommy asks, pulling a donut out, then passing the bag to Tubbo, who grabs one of his own. He watches, baffled, as Tubbo carefully examines his, sniffing it all over, then breaking it in half and carefully licking the jelly once, before actually taking a bite.

Tommy takes a bite as well, realizing only after he's swallowed that Tubbo was probably checking his for poison. Oops. Hopefully Tommy's donut isn't poisoned either, because he completely forgot to check it over first.

"There's a shop down the street," Sapnap explains, ducking his head. "They give out the leftovers in those bags at the end of the day." He looks suddenly nervous, glancing between the two of them with worried eyes. "Um. Don't tell Dream that. I- um- I'm not supposed to leave the manor."

Tommy just shrugs, his mouth too full to respond, and Tubbo makes an acknowledging grunting noise as he breaks the final donut in two pieces and hands half to Tommy.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Tubbo asks, licking icing off his fingers while Tommy finishes his half of the last donut.

"Look, it's…" Sapnap trails off, then sighs, looking between both of them for a long moment, before ducking his head. "I overheard Dream and George talking earlier. There's- um- the vampire council is looking for both of you right now, they know where we all are, and they're going to be here by sundown."

Hope springs in Tommy's chest, though it's muddled with confusion. Why was he overhearing Dream and George? Wouldn't Dream just tell him that's what's going on? He looks up at Sapnap, nodding for him to go on.

"If Technoblade's with them, then…" Sapnap shakes his head once, his eyes momentarily flashing with what looks like panic, though to vanishes a moment later. "Dream wants to get back at him, so if Techno shows up, then Dream will…" He shudders.

Tommy feels cold horror flood him, and watches Tubbo's face go white. Right. Right. He had no idea what Dream has in store for either of them, but it dawns on him in an instant. They're bait - Dream's using him and Tubbo to lure Techno here in order to kill him, isn't he?

"He's going to kill Techno," Tubbo breathes, and Sapnap looks up at them suddenly, his anxiety replaced by momentary bafflement.

"N- no, he doesn't want Techno dead," Sapnap shakes his head. "Well, um, yes, he does, but he really wants to make Techno pay more than just killing him." He swallows, and his eyes flash again, with that weird panicky look they had before. "He's going to kill you."

Tommy and Tubbo share a look, both of them flooding with cold panic at Sapnap's words. This is worse than they thought - this is much worse. Tommy can feel his heartbeat starting to pick up, and in the same moment, Tubbo starts breathing heavier, horror and fear building up inside them both.

"Wait," Sapnap says, holding up both of his hands, trying to get their attention. "Wait, stop, look, I-" He takes a deep breath, even though vampires don't need to breathe, then looks between them both a few times, swallowing anxiously. "I don't want you dead." He stresses, then sighs. "Which means we gotta get out of here, and fast."

Tommy takes a few deep gulps of air, trying to get it into his system, before he and Tubbo make eye contact.

"Can we leave now?" Tommy asks, getting to his feet, but Sapnap shakes his head quickly, looking even more nervous.

"Dream and George are still awake," He explains, scuffing his foot against the carpet. "I'm going to come back in like an hour and a half, after they're both asleep - I just wanted to tell you before that so you'd know what's going on, y'know?"

Tommy nods slowly, and sees Tubbo do the same out of the corner of his eye. "What then?"

"We're going to head out one of the side doors," Sapnap nods, shifting nervously and glancing behind himself, toward the door. "There's a break in the iron fence out back, you should be able to crawl underneath it - I could fit under it, which means you guys probably can too."

Tubbo nods, then glances at Tommy, who nods slightly. Tommy pauses at that for a moment, though, then looks up at Sapnap again, concerned.

"What's in it for you?" He asks, and when Sapnap gives him a puzzled expression, he continues. "I mean, why do you want to rescue us?"

"I don't think you deserve to die," Sapnap mumbles softly, shifting again as he glances out the door. "You guys haven't done anything wrong, and Dream killing you for something Techno did is just unfair."

Tommy opens his mouth to respond to that, but Sapnap cuts him off.

"Someone's coming," He hisses, taking a step back. "I'll be back."

Before either of them can react, Sapnap is already out the door, with it closed and locked behind him, vanishing down the hall just moments before Dream leisurely pads toward the cell. He pauses outside, his eyes narrowing at both of them and his nostrils flaring slightly, as though he can smell their blood.

Tommy takes a step back, unable to stop himself, unable to fight the deep, visceral fear sent through his chest at the sight of Dream's bright red eyes, and the slight flash of fangs when the vampire frowns, the horror of it all making Tommy's body lock up with fear.

Dream glances from Tommy to Tubbo, who he stares at for a long moment, before turning away from both of them and padding off down the hall without another word.

Both of them stand there, frozen in fear, until long after Dream's near-silent footfalls have faded and left them in silence, which is when they collapse on the floor of their room, each breathing heavily and leaning against one another.

"He's gonna kill us," Tubbo mumbles weakly, clinging to Tommy like a lifeline, digging his fingers into his friend's shirt as though he'll be ripped away at any moment.

"He- he," Tommy heaves for breath, finally managing a few words. "He won't, Tubbo, Sapnap-"

"Do you really think we can trust him?" Tubbo demands, trembling. "What if that's a trick, or a trap- he could just be saying that to get us to come quietly when Dream needs us dead!"

Tommy imagines that, cold horror building up inside him at the thought, at the thought of Sapnap smiling and quietly leading them out of here toward their death, of Dream and George pouncing on them once they've let their guard down and-

He shakes his head rapidly. "Tubbo," He whispers weakly. "They don't need him to do that, we can't fight them."

Tubbo makes an anxious keening noise in the back of his throat, and Tommy fights the urge to sob, desperation building inside him, instead trying to focus his thoughts on the vampire who'd just brought them donuts, who'd promised to get them out of here, who they have to trust, because they don't have any other options.

Please, Sapnap. Tommy thinks to himself, taking a shaky breath. Please be telling the truth.

— — —

Sapnap's footfalls are quieter than Dream's when he reappears two and a half hours later, so much longer that Tommy had begun to lose hope he was even coming at all. The vampire has a bag tossed over one shoulder, and he looks endlessly anxious until he gets the door open and gets a better look at them both.

"Sorry I took so long," He whispers, setting his bag down and opening it, pulling out Tommy and Tubbo's shoes, as well as two windbreakers. "Dream and George took forever to finally go to sleep."

"They're asleep now, though?" Tubbo asks, and Tommy sits to pull his shoes on at the same time.

"Yeah," Sapnap nods, smiling a little. "And they should be for a while, I gave George some, uh, some stuff to keep him asleep, and Dream said he wanted to sleep more so he'll have enough energy for-" He pauses, sucking in a sharp breath, then looks up at them and drags his finger across his throat, eyes nervous.

Tommy and Tubbo exchange a look as they're putting the windbreakers on, both of them still filled with mild panic at remembering that Dream still genuinely intends to kill them.

Tommy takes a deep breath. It's fine. They're going to be fine. Sapnap is going to get them out of here. He looks up at Sapnap expectantly, finally noticing, to his confusion, that the vampire is dressed in new clothing. His pants are the same, yes, but he's got a jacket on, gloves shoved into the pocket, a hat tossed over his back, held on by the cord around his neck, and a bandana similar to the one Tommy wears at home.

He looks like he's prepared to go outside in the middle of the day. He looks like he's prepared to run away from here.

"Come on," Sapnap nods to them both, cutting through Tommy's train of thought as he stands and tosses the bag over his shoulder again, waving to them both.

Tommy scrambles to keep up with him, stepping out into the hallways of the manor, Tubbo on their heels. Sapnap turns back to make sure they're both with him, relief flicking across his face as he does so.

"We're gonna skirt the perimeter of the house," He hisses to both of them, leading the way around a corner and pausing for a second before ducking into what appears to be a parlor. "Dream and George are asleep upstairs and we're less likely to wake them up that way."

Tommy nods, then glances around, padding quietly but quickly after Sapnap, hearing Tubbo scamper after both of them to keep up with Tommy's height and Sapnap's vampire speed. He finds Tubbo's hand in the darkness of the parlor and clings to it, both of them holding onto one another as they step out a door and into another hallway, following Sapnap silently through the manor.

All three of them have to pause, long enough for Sapnap to stand and listen and make sure Dream and George are both asleep before they carefully creep around the edges of a ballroom and out a door on the other side. They speed up as they walk, turning another corner, slipping into a vacant bedroom, through a jack-and-jill bathroom and out another bedroom door, before Sapnap leads them down a final hall and around a final corridor that ends in-

A door to the outside world.

They made it.

"Alright," Sapnap takes in, then lets out a deep breath, gesturing for both of them to stand beside him. "Dream put an extra two locks on this thing, so it's gonna take me a minute to pick them. Keep watch?"

"Sure," Tubbo responds, turning around to watch the inside of the house, and Tommy steps around him toward Sapnap, watching as he inserts a claw into the first lock to pick it open.

"What?" Sapnap asks anxiously, not looking up as he carefully jiggles his claw around inside the lock, cursing under his breath as he fiddles with it.

"Why are you helping us escape?" Tommy asks plainly, watching him for a long minute.

"I already told you," Sapnap responds, his voice guarded and his eyes a little wounded. "You don't deserve to die."

"I mean what's in it for you?" Tommy adds, watching Sapnap finally pick the first lock and move onto the second one. "You're dressed like you want to come with us."

Sapnap pauses at that, looking at Tubbo for a long moment with guilty eyes, before he looks back at the locks and lets out a breath. "I- it's complicated. I don't…" He sighs again. "You probably already know I used to be a Guardian, right?"

Tommy nods, and Sapnap nods back, picking at the next lock while he speaks. "Um. I know I'm never going to be allowed back - the council won't let me, not after everything I've done, but I… I don't want to die either. I…" He sighs again, soft this time, then glances behind himself where Tubbo's turn to look at him too. "Dream's not giving me as much blood as he gives George, and I… I don't know how to hunt."

Oh.

Tommy watches Sapnap pick the second lock, listening to it open with a click. He'd assumed that Sapnap being anxious and standoffish was a personality trait, and his anxiety around Dream and George was just an offshoot of that, not that…

Not that Sapnap isn't being taken care of by his sire.

No wonder he wants to get out of here, he's probably just as miserable as Techno was when he escaped Dream a thousand years ago.

Sapnap fiddles with the third lock for a long moment, letting out a small sigh. "I just want to go home. I know I can't really do that, not after I sided with Dream, and we killed that poor vampire, and the Guardian that Dream made me-" He sucks in a shaky breath, then lets it out in one go. "I think that, maybe, if I help you guys get out of here… I might be allowed to see it again. Just for a few minutes."

Tommy feels a wave of secondhand grief wash over him from Sapnap's tone of voice, and tries to imagine it for a moment, tries to imagine what it'd feel like to never be allowed to go home again, to have Techno and Phil ban him from their home, from the coven itself, just because he'd done something wrong, to be locked away with a dangerous stranger who starved him and forced him to hurt people.

He swallows weakly, and watches as Tubbo reaches out to press a hand to Sapnap's arm in sympathy. The vampire doesn't brush him off, just lets out a soft breath as he picks the last lock, which opens with a satisfying click.

"Alright," Sapnap whispers, grabbing at his pockets. "Remember what I said earlier? There's-"

"Sapnap, what the hell are you doing?"

A cold, dangerous voice cuts Sapnap off, and all three of them turn at the same time to see a vampire standing behind them, an ancient one with an impressive height and powerful build, who's watching all three of them with rage flickering behind his bright red eyes.

"D- Dream," Sapnap breathes nervously, and his words are accompanied by an anxious chuckle. "I was- I was just-"

"Don't lie to me," Dream growls, stalking toward all three of them, his claws bared.

Both Tommy and Tubbo take a step back, and Sapnap's eyes flash at that - he bares his own claws, then his fangs, shoving Tommy and Tubbo behind him at the same time.

"Leave them alone," He growls, and Dream pauses, looking genuinely startled at Sapnap's defensiveness.

"Don't do this," He whispers, voice terrifyingly calm but edged with a manipulative purr. "Sapnap, don't make me do something I'll regret."

"They haven't done anything wrong," Sapnap responds, flexing his claws despite the obvious tremor in his voice. "We can kill Techno, I'll help you kill Techno, but Tommy and Tubbo haven't done anything to you- to us, killing them isn't right!"

"That's not for you to decide," Dream growls. "Sapnap, bring those humans to me, now."

Sapnap stands firm, his arms still spread to keep Tommy and Tubbo away from Dream, all of his muscles bunched at the same time, like he'll leap at any second.

Dream stares at him, then sighs and rolls his eyes. "Fine. If you're going to be petulant, we'll do this the hard way."

Sapnap's eyes flash with panic and he opens his mouth, but Dream cuts him off before he can speak.

"Sapnap," His voice echoes, the sound seeming to rattle the air around it, and his eyes gleam in the same moment. "Bring those humans to me."

It's a thrall. Tommy manages to think, just before Sapnap lunges for him. He shrieks, kicking out at the vampire as Tubbo lunges for the door, but before he can make it, Sapnap's hand is closed around his wrist and he's yanked toward him as Sapnap grabs Tubbo by the back of his jacket, dragging them both away from the door and toward Dream.

"There," Dream smiles, reaching out with a hand for Sapnap to shove Tommy's arm into. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"You fucker!" Tommy snarls, yanking at Dream's grip, which is like iron around his arm. "LET GO OF ME!"

Dream ignores him, only turning to drag Tommy behind him as Sapnap drags Tubbo, moving robotically. Tommy looks up to meet his gaze and is genuinely startled by the sheer amount of horror behind his red eyes, mixed with a deep, animalistic panic.

He doesn't want this either. Tommy knows, but that only makes him more scared, as he desperately squirms in Dream's grip, unable to escape. He realizes, a moment later, that Dream's taking them back into the ballroom, which has all of it's doors closed and locked, save the one they're walking in through, which Dream pauses to close as well, before he drags Tommy to the center of the room and dumps him on the ground, stepping back toward the door and crossing his arms.

Sapnap sags a moment later, seeming to register where he is and instantly releasing Tubbo, who stumbles back, eyes wide with horror.

"Dream, please," Sapnap whispers, his throat choking slightly as he looks between Tommy and Tubbo and Dream, his eyes flicking between all three of them with panic behind his gaze. He stumbles a little as he walks, still managing to put himself between both of them and Dream. "Just leave them alone, please."

"What did I just say?" Dream responds, letting out an exasperated sigh and rolling his eyes. "You are my fledgling and you will do what I tell you to do."

"But-"

"Sapnap, you remember everything I've told you about Techno, right?" Dream hums, smiling at him with all his fangs. "You remember what he's done? You remember how he failed me? You don't want to fail me too, do you?"

"I-"

"Frankly, I was waiting for him to show himself around here," Dream hums, letting out a long, annoyed sigh. He grins at Sapnap again, his eyes flickering red. "I figured it'd be a good enough revenge to slaughter his two favorite brats right in front of him, but I've got a better idea."

"Wh- what are you talking about?" Sapnap whispers, and Tommy and Tubbo glance at one another, cold horror beginning to flood them both.

Dream unsheaths his claws. "You know what I want, Sapnap." He examines each of his claws easily, before he looks up at Sapnap again, his eyes shining with thrall. "Kill them."

Sapnap opens his mouth, maybe in protest, maybe just to scream, but no sound comes out, and he whirls instead, his nostrils flaring and lips edging back in a snarl as he looks Tommy and Tubbo over, flexing his claws.

"Sapnap," Tommy breaths, taking a step back. "Please-"

Sapnap takes a step toward him, distress in his eyes, along with a panicked sort of determination.

"Fight it," Tubbo adds, his voice desperate and small. "Sapnap, you can fight his control, please, you-"

"He can't fight it," Dream purrs from the other side of the room. "He's my fledgling, he does exactly what I want him to do." He laughs softly. "Tear out his throat."

Sapnap lunges, his eyes wide with horror as his claws reach for Tubbo's throat. Tubbo scrambles backward, crashing into Tommy, who yanks him away, both of them turning to scramble away as Sapnap lunges for them again, his lips edging up in another snarl even though his eyes display his true feelings, his desperate panic at what he's being forced to do.

"I know you're hungry, Sapnap," Dream hums, still staring at his claws. "You're so, so hungry, you never shut up about it." He smiles with all his fangs again. "But don't worry, I'll take care of you. You can drink your fill of the brats once they're dead."

Sapnap's eyes somehow widen in further horror as he lunges, his claws swiping forward and clipping Tommy's shoulder, sending white-hot pain across his arm and yanking a pained gasp from his lips.

Despite his closed mouth, Sapnap makes some sort of horrified keening noise in response, trying desperately to fight his muscles. Across the room, Dream sighs in what sounds like frustration, his eyes slipping shut, and in that moment, Tommy realizes what's going on.

Dream can't just control Sapnap, especially at this distance, it's taking concentration for him to keep Sapnap thralled like this, it's taking effort.

Which means that, if Tommy and Tubbo can break his concentration, they can potentially break the thrall.

"DREAM!" Tommy shouts, scrambling out of the way of Sapnap's next clawing lunge, glaring at the vampire across the room. "You know that Techno's coming for you, don't you?!"

"I'm aware," Dream hums, his concentration hardly wavering. "You'll be dead long before he makes it in here, just in time to dispose of your body."

Tommy dodges Sapnap's next hit, ducking beneath him and attempting to shoulder him aside, which doesn't work.

"Yeah?! And what if he doesn't? What if all he does is come in here and slaughter you?!"

"He can't," Dream chuckles.

This isn't working. Tommy thinks in frustration, stumbling away from another lunge desperately. He has to break Dream's concentration, before Sapnap hurts or kills them both.

Tommy doesn't want to die, yes, but beneath that is grief - if they make it out of here alive, the council might allow Sapnap to see his home again, but not if he hurts either of them. They'd kill him the way they'll kill Dream, he'll never be allowed a single moment back in the sacred glade and in the presence of the Warden or the Archdemon, and that's not fair.

A snarl draws Tommy's attention back to Sapnap, who's scrambling after Tubbo, his feet stumbling a little on the carpet and sending an idea rocketing through Tommy's brain. He knows he can't really trip Sapnap, not in any way that'd be useful, but Sapnap's back is turned and he's wearing sneakers.

Tommy darts after him, watching Sapnap lunge for Tubbo again, but before he can leap, Tommy slams his toes down on the very back of Sapnap's shoe, pressing down as the vampire stumbles, collapsing to the ground in an instant, his foot slipping out of his shoe and leaving it on the ground as he leaps to his feet.

Tubbo darts around him, giving Tommy a confused expression, but there's no time to explain, no time to give away his plan, no time to give Dream any kind of warning.

He grabs Sapnap's shoe, then turns, and in one fluid moment, flings it at Dream's head.

"OW!?" Dream roars, his concentration broken as his eyes snap open, and he leaps off the table, his eyes flashing in rage as he lunges for Tommy, his claws and fangs bared.

Before his claws can so much as graze Tommy's skin, Sapnap leaps over his head and tackles Dream,throwing them both to the ground with a snarl or true rage.

"RUN!" He screams as Dream writhes beneath him, clawing at his sire desperately. "I SAID RUN!"

Tommy, despite wanting nothing more than to leap in and help Sapnap, especially when Dream flips to scratch his claws across Sapnap's face, leans into the adrenaline thrumming through his veins, and bolts.

Tubbo scrambles after him, both of them running down the halls and away from the screeching, fighting vampires behind them. Tommy can't help the panicked jumble of thoughts in his head as they run toward the door, so loud he can barely focus.

Dream's killing him. Tommy thinks, flooded with horror. Dream's killing him, Dream's killing him, there's no way he can fight back his sire and win, Dream is going to kill him.

Tubbo reaches the door first, grabbing the handle and flinging it open, stumbling out into the brilliant sunlight of the day, just as a desperate, strangled scream follows them out into the bright afternoon air.

They tumble down the stairs, one after the other, then scramble to the chain-link fence, where there is, indeed, a hole beneath it, just large enough for both of them to slip beneath, despite the way it leaves scratches through their hair and their clothing.

Tubbo gets to his feet and grabs Tommy's arm, yanking him after him as he bolts into the brilliant daylight of the street ahead of them, which is when they both finally register the gathering of vampires and humans huddled in the shadows of the nearby trees and watching them with shocked expressions.

Tommy spots a bright flash of pink hair and scrambles toward it after Tubbo, a sob building in his throat along with more panicked thoughts.

Maybe there's still time, maybe he'll make it, maybe if we send everyone else in right now they can get there in time and save him. It's not fair, it's not fair, he has to see his home again, he has to.

"Tommy! Tubbo!" Techno's voice is hazy and distant, but his arms are open, ready, accepting as Tommy and Tubbo stumble into him, both of them sobbing and heaving for breath in the same moment.

Tommy wants nothing more than to cry into Techno's arms, to lean against his covenmate and feel the protective and kind strength around him, to find solace in this hold, but he can't, not while- not while-

"He's dying!" Tommy bursts out between hiccuping sobs. "You have to save him, he's dying, Dream's killing him, please!"

— — —

Techno clings to the two crying humans in his arms, desperately attempting to decipher Tommy's screaming plea but unable to make out what it is he's so torn up about. Killing him? Who's dying? Who is Dream killing? Why is it distressing Tommy so much - he and Tubbo are here, they're safe, Techno has them in his arms, there's no one else they should be this distraught about-

Right?

"Please!" Tommy wails, clinging to Techno's shirt. "Please, we have to go back, you have to go in and-"

"LET'S GO!"

Techno's eyes snap up at the shout from the other side of the street, watching as guardians and vampires alike explode from the shadows and race toward the door, swords and claws and crossbows and fangs bared, scrambling into the manor to slaughter the ancient vampire lurking inside.

"Stay here," Techno tells Tommy and Tubbo, turning to push them toward Phil so he can run after the tide heading inside the building, but before he can release them, Phil grabs his shoulders.

"No," He says sternly, looking into Techno's eyes with ferocity in his ruby gaze. "Stay here with me, Tech, you can't go in there."

"I have to kill him," Techno responds, attempting to shrug Phil off. "He's my sire, he-"

"That's what he wants," Phil hisses, his eyes flashing. "Techno, he wants you there, he's wanted you there since the moment he woke up, he wants you dead-"

"I know that," Techno growls, glaring at Phil and attempting to free himself once more. "I have to kill him, I have to make sure he's dead, that's-"

"No," Phil responds, with real grief in his eyes that makes Techno pause. "Tech, that's what he wants you to do. He wants you to go in there and kill him, he wants you to finish him, he wants to know that he's hurt you - you can't give him that."

Techno opens his mouth to protest, then stops, pausing for a long moment before he lets out a slight breath and closes it, looking back at Phil with a calmer feeling in his chest. "You- you're right."

Phil nods, glancing over his shoulder once at the door, where Wilbur is scrambling inside, Niki beside him, their fledglings taking their place in the battle to come, before he looks down at Tommy and Tubbo, who are still clinging to Techno and crying, and steps closer.

"It's going to be okay," He murmurs, gently taking Tubbo into his arms so Techno can hold Tommy even tighter against his chest, before stepping a little closer, holding their newest coven members against them. "It's all going to be okay."

— — —

"They're in the ballroom," Ant hisses, his eyes flashing in the darkness as he turns to look at the people clustered behind him, human and vampire alike. "Spread out and form a perimeter. They can't take all of us at once."

Punz meets his eyes steadily and nods, sniffing slightly before edging his lips up in a bit of a snarl.

He's in there, Purpled's killer is in there. The vampire that slaughtered Punz's beloved fledgling is inside that room, just standing there, as though he's taunting Punz. He killed Purpled. He killed Purpled and he has the audacity to lounge around afterwards, as though he hadn't torn away Punz's entire world in that single moment.

Punz lets out a breath, then looks up at the ballroom door, ears twitching as he prepares for the signal, for all of them to rush in and eliminate the monsters that have tormented them all for the past decades, the vampires that have cared for nothing more than death and destruction and pain, the vampires that will kill them if they don't kill them first.

Of course, the council, Bad, and Sam told them all to capture the vampires inside this room, but Punz knows, with the anger in his heart and the way Quackity is quivering with rage just beside him, both of those vampires are about to die.

Ant twitches an ear, then takes in and lets out a deep breath before looking back at them both. "Don't do anything stupid, please."

Punz nods mutely, watching Quackity do the same, despite the fact neither of them have any intentions of keeping that promise. They're going to do whatever it takes to ensure those fuckers are dead.

"Are we heading in now?" Quackity whispers, and Ant lets out a shaky, anxious sigh, before he nods.

"Yes."

The moment he says the word, all of them lunge for the door, scrambling into the ballroom in the same moment that all of the other doors surrounding it burst open and the full might of the Warden's Guardian's and the Archdemon's Children explode into the ballroom of the manor.

Punz spots him immediately, Dream is standing in the center of the room, with one of his fledglings beside him, the one that killed Purpled,George. He wants to spring for that creature immediately, wants to tear him apart for what he's done, but before he can lunge, he chokes on the suspiciously large amount of dust coating the floor and floating through the air, coughing hard.

"I didn't expect the Warden and the Archdemon to send so many of you," Dream comments, sounding amused, which only makes Punz angrier.

"Dream," Antfrost ignores his comment, stepping forward calmly and staring down the two vampires in the center of the room. "You know why we're here." He crosses his arms. "You can come calmly, or we can take you by force."

"That won't be necessary, vampire," Dream says dismissively, smiling at Antfrost with all of his fangs. "I just figured the Warden and the Archdemon didn't have the heart to send so many of you to your deaths."

Before any of them can react, he lunges, tackling Antfrost in an instant, and the room immediately descends into chaos.

Velvet slams into Dream, managing to tear him off his sworn before Dream can sink his teeth into Antfrost's neck, and buying enough time for the rest of the people in here to rush for him.

George is at his side in an instant, immediately defending his sire with snarling teeth and furious claws, raking them across Velvet's chest, causing him to stumble away with a cry of pain. Punz takes that opportunity and dodges around his covenmate, his vision closing in on George in an instant.

"YOU!" He snarls, slamming into George and throwing him to the ground. "You killed Purpled."

"And?" George snorts, kneeing Punz in the belly and trying to scramble away, his teeth bared. "You know he was weak, don't you? He deserved everything that was coming to-"

"Shut up!" Punz snarls, grabbing George's head to crack it against the ground, forcing the fledgling vampire to stop trying to escape him. "Don't fucking talk about my fledgling like that. He was innocent and you killed him."

George just grins at him, and lunges for his throat, using his balance to fling Punz to the ground and pounce on him, his full weight immediately throwing Punz to the floor, despite his struggling.

Both vampires dissolve immediately into a screeching, snarling mess of claws, their fight turning vicious instantly as they rip into one another, Punz shredding George's skin and George going for his neck in the same instant, both evenly matched, despite George's age and Punz's skill.

Punz will not let George kill him, and kicks out at the younger vampire, despite the way George is attempting to pin him, throwing George away from him and scrambling into a desperate, defensive crouch. George snarls at him in response, but before he can lunge for Punz again, there's a strangled scream from across the room and both of them look up, every eye in the room locking onto Dream in an instant, Dream and the human pinned beneath his claws.

"QUACKITY!" Punz hears another guardian - Karl maybe? Fundy? - scream, but before they can scramble for a weapon, Dream looks around at them all before digging his fangs into Quackity's neck and tearing away, spraying blood across the ballroom.

Horror floods Punz in that moment, watching the Guardian collapse, twitching weakly, as Dream laps at the blood around his lips, eyes shining with what looks like delight.

Punz's eyes flick back to George, though, especially when the other vampire makes an odd, strangled snarl in the back of his throat. He's distracted, the entire room is distracted, which means Punz has time. He has time, and he has a chance, and before he knows it, he's on George again, his fangs meeting the throat of the vampire who slaughtered his only fledgling.

George barely has a moment to scream before it's cut off as he explodes into ashes, dead in an instant.

Dream's eyes snap up at the sound, what looks like grief flashing through them, but before he can lunge for Punz the way he slaughtered Quackity, two vampires leap atop him to restrain him in a moment, glaring at him.

"Where's the other one?" It's Niki this time, her eyes scanning the room for any hint of Dream's other fledgling, of Sapnap, watching the room keenly, as though he'll leap from the shadows to attack at any moment. "Where's your other fledgling?"

Dream only laughs, refusing to struggle and grinning at Niki instead, with all his teeth showing. "Didn't you notice all the ash when you came in? You've been breathing him in all this time."

Niki stares at him for a long moment, the entire room falling silent, but before she can say anything more, before she can comment on that, before she can do anything other than stand here and stare at Dream, her mouth agape, there's the sudden click of a crossbow's safety being turned off, then the whoosh of the bolt as it flies through the air, and before them all, Dream immediately explodes into dust.

Punz only has a moment to glance up at the source of the crossbow, realizing that it's Karl, killing in the name of his hunter friend, standing over Quackity's body protectively and holding his crossbow, finally destroying the undeath of the vampire who'd slaughtered so many people, who'd killed guardians and vampires alike, who's dangerous and deadly and evil-

And who's now dead.

Punz stares at the pile of ashes on the ground, lying between Wilbur and Ponk, before, exhaustion and grief swamp him and he promptly passes out.

— — —

"What do we do with it, though?" Phil asks, and Tommy stares up at him, confused, glancing between Wilbur and Phil.

They're standing in the foyer of what once was Dream's manor, though it's empty save for Tommy, Tubbo, Wilbur, and Niki, as well as Phil and the rest of the council, all of them speaking in low, nervous voices.

He opens his mouth to ask what Phil means by 'it', but before he can speak, Bad responds with a long-suffering sigh.

"The same thing we do with the ashes of rogues," He shakes his head once, glancing toward the three unassuming clay urns placed on the edge of the table. "There's a cemetery at the edge of town, near the graveyard, that'll bury it without fanfare."

A cold chill runs down Tommy's spine at that, and he stares at the urns. He knows that the ashes of Dream and his fledglings are in each, divided by the faint oily sheen on Dream's, George's being slightly darker and very faintly tinted a dark brown, and Sapnap's having an orange sparkle to them, like the flash of sparks from a fire.

"Wh- what?" Tommy breathes, looking up between Bad and Phil again as his stomach begins to churn. He catches Tubbo's eye from where he's standing beside Phil, both of them distressed. "B- but he- he- but Sapnap-"

"Would you like one of us to take them there?" Wilbur asks, gently resting a hand on Tommy's shoulder, as if to shush him. "They don't deserve the honor of being buried by either of you, Archdemon and Warden."

Sam, from where he's standing beside Bad, nods slowly, giving the three urns a hard, strong glare. "That'd be for the best. The gravediggers there can handle it."

"But that's not fair!" Tommy bursts out, the sound of Sapnap's words ringing inside his head in the same moment. He just wants to go home again. He just wants to see his home again, and the Archdemon and the Warden are sending him away.

"Tommy," Phil's voice is soothing from where he stands beside him, reaching out to touch Tommy's shoulder gently. "This is fair, those who betray the Warden and the Archdemon aren't allowed to be buried here anymore."

"But he changed!" It's Tubbo this time, tugging at Phil's sleeve to try and get his attention, his eyes brimming with tears. "Sapnap helped us escape! He didn't keep fighting with Dream, Dream killed him!"

"I know that," Sam's words are gentle and placating. "But he chose to follow a dangerous vampire. He aided in the murder of one of your friends."

"He eviscerated Schlatt, too," Fundy hisses from somewhere nearby Sam, giving Tubbo a betrayed expression. "He killed our friend."

"But he didn't want to do that!" Tommy responds, horror and grief and betrayal clogging his throat. "And- and Dream wasn't feeding him! He wanted to leave!"

"These rules were put in place long before you were born, Tommy," Bad's voice is as gentle as Sam's was. "Sapnap chose to follow Dream despite the way his sire treated him. He could have left at any time, sought out Guardians or Vampires, and we would have welcomed him home."

"But he tried to do that!" Tubbo responds, his voice just as desperate as Tommy's. "He wanted to come home! He died so Dream wouldn't kill us, even though he just wanted to see this place again, he-"

"Tubbo," Phil's voice is gentle as he tugs Tubbo against him, where he's safe. Tommy feels Wilbur step closer to him, gently pulling Tommy close. "This isn't for you to worry about anymore, alright? Let the council decide the fate of these vampires."

"But- but-" Tubbo adds, his eyes filled with grief as he tries, desperately, to respond. "He- I- we-"

"You're alright," Phil responds gently, and Tommy and Tubbo can only watch on in horrified grief as Sam and Bad direct their attention to Fundy and Niki, who are standing nearby, giving them the silent order to grab and remove the three urns, carrying them out of the room.

No. Tommy's mind screams. He thinks he might throw up. "NO! STOP! BRING HIM BACK!!!"

Tubbo sniffles again, his eyes watering with distressed tears.

"PLEASE!" Tommy cries. "PLEASE! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Wilbur pulls him close again, rubbing his back gently. "It's alright, Toms, you'll be okay."

"No I won't," Tommy whispers, crying as he watches the door shut behind them. "He has to go home, he has to!"

No one acknowledges his outburst, and Tommy can do nothing but break down into further tears.

— — —

"It's not fair," Tommy whispers.

Techno looks down at him sadly, offering a hand that Tommy takes hesitantly. They're standing beside one another as the procession carefully walks past them, the pallbearers holding up the aspen coffin of the fallen Guardian, walking him toward his final resting place, in the cemetery of the Warden's sacred glade, hidden inside his palace of daylight.

Quackity will rest here for eternity, watched over by Sam and watched over by the guardians who will come after him, who will walk these halls after he's laid to rest, but despite that assurance, despite knowing that the human who died in the death of Dream, who lead to the destruction of the world's most dangerous vampire will be received in Lady Death's halls with grace and honor, he can't help but feel so, so hollow.

Tommy can't stop thinking about Sapnap.

He can't stop thinking about Sapnap attacking Dream, making sure Tommy and Tubbo could escape, dying in their place to get them to safety. He can't stop thinking about some of Sapnap's last words to them.

I just want to go home.

But he can't go home, he can never go home, because he's dead, because Dream killed him, and because, infuriatingly, the council doesn't seem to understand why.

Tommy had tried to convince them, accompanying Phil to a meeting just after Dream's death, but they'd brushed him off. The council won't let him be buried here, they won't let Sapnap come and rest in his old home, he's been shunted off to some random cemetery at the outskirts of town, along with his sire and Dream's other fledgling. He's not allowed to come home, even in death, he's being forced away again, forced to stay with his abusive sire just like in life.

Tommy sniffles softly, wiping at his eyes and knowing that the vampires and humans around him are mistaking his grief over Sapnap for grief over Quackity's death. It's not that he isn't sad that Quackity died, of course, he's just… Sapnap was different.

Sapnap doesn't get a funeral procession, Sapnap doesn't get recognition for saving Tommy and Tubbo, he gets shunted away and ignored.

Tommy starts to fully cry, and Techno steps closer to him, offering an arm to pull him into a hug, rubbing his back gently at the same time. Tommy presses against him, wishing the ancient vampire could take away all the grief clinging to him in the same way he'd taken away Tommy's hunger and pain and anxiety by bringing him into the coven the way he did.

Techno is safe and kind and welcomed Tommy and Tubbo into the safety of his coven when they needed a home, and a part of Tommy wishes that he could've done the same for Sapnap. Maybe if Sapnap had lived, then Tommy and Tubbo could've explained to Techno that Sapnap saved them and then he could've come to live in their coven too, finally had other vampires that cared about him, finally had someone other than Dream and George.

Maybe if he'd been at the meeting, then the council would've actually listened to Tommy when he said Sapnap deserved to come home.

Tommy hiccups weakly, watching as the coffin bearing Quackity's body is carefully lowered to the earth beside the grave. He can see Tubbo on the other side of the gathering of mourners, holding onto Phil's arm for comfort, and a stab of grief goes up through his chest at that.

It had been Schlatt and Quackity who found Tubbo and brought him to the Warden's glade and had served as temporary guardians while finding him a true home, and now they're both dead, each dying at the claws of the same cruel vampire. Sure, they were abrasive sometimes, but Tubbo genuinely cared about them both, so to see them gone… he's devastated.

The mourners begin to make their rounds, every person who was close to Quackity in life coming up to rest their hands on the aspen lid of the casket to say their final goodbyes and send him to the afterlife with their well-wishes. It's Karl who goes up first, his face tear-streaked and devastated, followed by Fundy, then Wilbur, each of them resting their hands one by one before moving to allow more people to step in after them.

Tommy sniffles again, trying to fight the next round of tears as he leans against Techno, but fails when he watches Punz come to rest his hand on the coffin, seeing the grief in the vampire's red eyes and knowing that Punz must be thinking of Purpled right now, of his lost fledgling. Purpled was Tommy's friend, at least for a little while, before he died, and that just makes Tommy's chest ache even more at the reminder of him.

So many people gone, so many people who didn't deserve to die, who didn't deserve to lose their lives at the claws of a dangerous and murderous vampire. None of them deserved this. None of them deserved Dream. Not Purpled nor Quackity nor Schlatt nor Sapnap - no one that died at Dream's claws deserved to lose their lives the way they did.

Tommy moves robotically beside Techno, shuffled along beside him as they both move to say goodbye, even though it feels as though they're only going through the motions of this ritual. Even though it doesn't feel right.

It's not fair that Tommy can't say goodbye to Sapnap too. It's not fair.

His hand rests on the surface of the casket, and distantly Tommy hears Techno murmur something, so soft it's almost a whisper, too soft for Tommy to make out, before the vampire reaches over to hold Tommy against him again, his grip just as gentle and comforting as before.

Tommy weakling stumbles after him as they walk away, stepping to the side this time, to stand closer to Phil and Tubbo.

Wilbur and Niki join them after a moment, Wilbur weaving through the crowd of mourners to stand by his coven, and Niki leaving the casket after saying goodbye. Wilbur gently ruffles Tommy's hair as he walks past, then pats Tubbo's shoulder and steps to Phil's side with a sigh. Niki stands beside Techno, reaching out to take the older vampire's hand.

Despite the fact he's surrounded by his coven, standing here where it's safe and he should feel alright, Tommy still feels awful.

They watch in silence as the last few mourners come to pay their respects, before Sam and Bad appear, the Warden and the Archdemon themselves, on either side of the casket, both of their eyes misty with grief.

"Rest well, guardian of mine," Sam says, one ancient, powerful hand resting on the coffin and his voice edged with emotion, though his words are calm.

Across from him, Bad places his clawed hand on the wood, and lets out a slow breath. "May Death receive you with honor."

Wilbur explained to Tommy and Tubbo before the funeral that this is what happens at the end, the Warden and Archdemon sending the fallen guardian to the afterlife, before the casket is buried. As soon as they step back, Wilbur leaves Phil's side to help the other pallbearers lift the casket again and gently lower it into the grave.

Guardians are always buried with eight pallbearers as opposed to the human six, with four of those pallbearers being vampires, so their supernatural strength can aid in the burial.

Sam and Bad each take a handful of earth from the pile beside the grave, crumbling it in their hands before letting it spill onto the surface of the casket, before they step back once again to allow the pallbearers to complete the burial, sealing the fallen guardian away in the earth and sending him to Death's domain with honor and respect.

Tommy feels tears build in the back of his throat again, at the loss of the guardian before him, at the sheer unfairness of it all, at the missing feelings, the pain, the loss, the fact that Quackity is dead and Sapnap is dead too and only one of them gets this treatment, this kindness.

He can barely think through the grief clogging his throat, so Tommy does the only thing he can do. Turn toward Techno, bury his face in the vampire's side, and burst into miserable tears.

— — —

It's been two days since the funeral, and Tommy and Tubbo are still completely miserable.

It's not that Techno doesn't understand, he understands full well the kind of grief that his covenmates are experiencing, that deep, heavy kind the lingers in your chest and belly, that feels like nothing more than a stone dragging you down, down, down into the deep, miserable parts of your mind, it's just…

There's something else to this sense of grief.

"It's not fair," Tommy whispers, looking up at Techno with watery, red-rimmed blue eyes, his voice choked with emotion. "It's not fair, Techno, it isn't fair."

They're sitting in Techno's library, in the calmest corner, which is filled with soft couches and warm throw blankets and plushies, including the cow one that Tommy is clinging too so hard his nails are digging into it.

"I know, Tommy," Techno murmurs, reaching out to take Tommy's hands in his own. "It's not fair that Quackity and Schlatt and Purpled died, I know that."

Tommy just sniffles a little before breaking down into tears again. "N- no! Sapnap died too! That's not fair either!"

Techno sighs softly. He knows that Phil and Wilbur have had this conversation before with Tommy and Tubbo, repeatedly. It's sad, yes, that the vampire fledgling died, but that was a necessary sacrifice to kill Dream. Techno doesn't exactly know who killed him, but he knows that, had Dream's fledgling survived, he would've unquestionably attempted to avenge his sire, which means he had to die to keep them all safe.

"Tommy," he starts, letting out a long breath. "I know you're upset, but Dream's fledglings were-"

Tommy just breaks into tears again and Techno sighs, scooting forward so he can gather the kid up in his arms and rub his back, trying to comfort him. Tommy just cries harder, too distraught to speak, and before Techno can figure out something, anything to say to calm him down, there's the sound of the library door creaking open.

Techno looks up, glancing behind himself and sighing softly when he realizes it's Wilbur, padding quietly into the room with Tubbo behind him. Tubbo is quiet, but the redness around his eyes and the watery texture of his cheeks clearly display the fact he's been crying. Techno frowns at that, letting out a breath he doesn't need and scooting over a little so Tubbo can climb up next to Tommy, both of them looking miserable.

Techno glances at Wilbur with a questioning look, and the other vampire sighs and shakes his head, looking between Techno and the two humans with a mournful expression.

"Tubbo wanted to talk to you," he explains, his voice low and calm, though tinged with sadness, and when Techno looks up at Tubbo, the little human nods at him, curling up against Tommy at the same time.

"Is everything alright?" Techno asks him, concern blossoming inside him at the sight of Tubbo's sad gaze. "What's going on?"

"Um," Tubbo sighs, dipping his head. "It's..." He glances nervously at Wilbur before he continues. "It's about Sapnap."

Techno holds back a sigh, restraining himself so that frustration doesn't come through his voice. "What about him?"

"It's not fair that he had to be buried at the edge of the city!" Tubbo responds, and Techno can hear grief behind his words. "He died so he could save us, Techno, and-"

"All he wanted to do was come home," Tommy cuts him off, voice choked with tears. "He just wanted to see his home again but the council wouldn't let him! He saved us and they punished him for it!"

Techno pauses at those words, his long-dead heart somehow stilling again, and he glances between Tubbo and Tommy quickly, chills running down his spine. "He died to save you?"

Tommy and Tubbo both nod, and Tommy hiccups once before responding. "Dream- Dream was gonna kill us and we couldn't escape on our own, but Sapnap said he didn't think that was fair because we didn't do anything, so he took us to the- to the door of the house, and unlocked it so we could-" he breaks into more tears, unable to finish.

"Dream caught us trying to escape," Tubbo continues miserably. "And he tried to use his Thrall to make Sapnap kill us. But- but Tommy broke his concentration and Sapnap attacked him to give us time to- to-"

"Dream killed him!" Tommy bursts out, still crying. "Dream killed him so we could escape!"

Techno stares at them both as they break down in tears again, clinging to one another with grief in their eyes, before he glances at Wilbur, concern in his chest.

"Wilbur," he begins, staring at his covenmate. "Did Dream... surely he wouldn't..."

Horror tingles along his spine at the very idea of Dream doing what Tommy says he did. Vampire sires are deeply protective of their fledglings, its instinct-driven, the urge to protect and care for a fledgling is nearly overpowering.

Even when Techno was Dream's fledgling, he never got the impression that his sire was going to kill him.

For a sire to kill a fledgling, especially any fledgling younger than a century, they would have to willpower or rage their way through every instinct fighting them along the way. It'd be damn near impossible.

And yet...

Wilbur swallows, looking at Techno before he ducks his head and nods. "When we reached Dream, there were..." He sighs softly. "Ashes everywhere. We only fought with Dream and George, the other one..."

"By the blood," Techno whispers, his entire body tightening with horror. He'd assumed that Dream's second fledgling was killed by a Guardian or by another Vampire, not by- not by Dream himself, fighting his own instincts to slaughter the vampire he should have protected.

"He wasn't feeding Sapnap either," Tommy adds, his voice a little hoarse with grief. "Not as much as George. He wanted to leave, I swear he wanted to leave."

"He wanted to come home," Tubbo adds, sniffling again and curling up against Tommy, finally reaching over his friend to grab another one of the plush animals sitting on the couch with them both - a stuffed pig. "That's what he said, when we were trying to escape. He wanted to come home and see the sacred glade one more time, and now he can't even have that."

Techno takes in and lets out a slow, even breath before he glances at Wilbur and tilts his head. "Weren't you at the meeting? Where exactly are Dream and his fledglings buried?"

"The same place all traitors and rogues are buried," Wilbur responds with a sigh. "The cemetery on the outskirts of town, beside the prison. That's what the Warden and the Archdemon decided."

"But it isn't fair!" Tommy bursts out again, his face starting to streak with fresh tears. "He died to Dream and never got to see his home again, and now they're making him stay with the sire who didn't feed him and killed him and was so mean to him and it's not fair."

"Didn't you say anything?" Techno asks Wilbur, frustration growing in his chest. "Did Phil say anything?"

Wilbur shakes his head, looking a bit guilty. "Um. No. That's Sacred Law, and the council, um, doesn't like to make exceptions."

"Then the council is stupid and cruel," Tommy hiccups, and Techno can't help but agree with him on that point.

He hadn't realized that... oh, Blood Gods, he had no idea about any of this. It's been over a thousand years since Techno suffered the way he did at Dream's claws, but he cannot forget his sire's cruelty, so to know that those same acts were committed against another fledgling... the thought is almost too much to bear.

He and Sapnap were fang brothers, in a sense, united by their shared sire, and now united in another way, in their shared devotion to protecting and taking care of the two youngest and newest members of Techno's coven. Despite his sire, despite the awful things he'd done, Sapnap was a person, a person who died defending those who needed his protection, a person who still had the capacity for good within him, though he was surrounded by so much evil.

He died to save Tommy and Tubbo, and in that act, lost the one thing he'd desperately wanted: to see his home one last time.

And the council is punishing him for it.

The council has him tossed to the edge of the city like he's nothing but garbage, sentencing him to an eternity trapped with his abusive sire, locked out of the forgiveness and peace that he deserves.

Yes, he'd done terrible and cruel things, yes he'd hurt this city in ways that could be considered unforgivable, but when it really mattered, he'd given up his chance at peace, he'd done the right thing.

Sapnap died saving two of Techno's most beloved covenmates. He'd died to protect them both, to give them the chance to escape.

In Techno's eyes, he's redeemed himself. He's shown that the contents of his heart were good.

He doesn't deserve this cruelty.

"Tommy's right," Techno finally says, looking over at Wilbur to give  him a heard stare. "The council is being stupid and cruel." He shakes his head, then scoots forward on the couch, offering a hand so Tommy and Tubbo can crawl over to him, both of them seeking comfort from his strong arms.

They're not afraid of his fangs and his strength and his deadly nature, they don't care about any of that, what they care about is the fact that he cares about them both and will do anything to keep them safe. Techno knows that he would gladly lay down his life in defense of his coven, in the same way that Sapnap laid down his life in defense of Tommy and Tubbo.

"What do you mean by that?" Wilbur asks slowly, staring at Techno with anxious, suspicious eyes. "The council's made up their-"

"I'm on the council, Wilbur," Techno snaps, a bit harsher than he means to. He winces, then softens his tone. "They shouldn't have made that decision without my input."

"Phil and I-" Wilbur begins, but Techno cuts him off.

"-are not the oldest vampire in existence," Techno sighs, crossing his arms. "I let you and Phil handle it because I hate council nonsense, but I should've been there when they decided what to do with the ashes of that snake and his fledglings." He crosses his arms. "He was my sire after all, and..." Techno glances between Tommy and Tubbo, who are both looking up at him with apprehension in their eyes. "...and I think I should be the judge of whether or not Dream's youngest fledgling redeemed himself."

Tommy tugs gently on his sleeve, and Techno looks over at him, noting the shimmer of hope beneath the apprehension in his eyes. "Does that... does that mean we could maybe...?"

"It means we will fix this," Techno tells him, gently squeezing Tommy's shoulders to reassure him. "No matter how much I have to yell at the council, we will make sure Sapnap gets to come home."

Tommy's eyes well with tears, and beside him, Tubbo sniffles. "P- promise?"

"Promise."

— — —

"We've already made the decision," Sam sighs, crossing his arms and glancing around at the other members of the council, who are all looking between Techno and their respective deity, Sam or Bad, anxiously, waiting to see what the verdict of this argument will be.

"And?" Techno responds, crossing his arms and glaring at the Warden. "We can undo this decision right now."

"It's just that," Bad, beside Sam, cuts in with an anxious sigh. "Doing this, allowing a traitor and a rogue into the sacred glade, even in death... it could set some kind of precedent..."

"A precedent for what exactly?" Techno snorts. "A precedent for forgiveness? For allowing those who've redeemed themselves to rest among Sam's guardians and your children?"

Neither Bad nor Sam respond to that one, and, Fundy cuts in, eyes stormy. "It'd be disrespectful to Quackity and especially to Schlatt - Sapnap killed him! No one deserves to be buried next to their attempted-"

"The, uh, the evisceration happened after Schlatt died," Ponk, one of Sam's guardians, who works as a doctor, and occasionally does autopsies that a doctor in the general public can't. "That's what I found, at least. From what Tommy and Tubbo said, it seems like Dream killed Schlatt, and Sapnap disemboweled him afterward."

"Desecration of a corpse, then," Fundy snorts, crossing his arms. "Either way, it's unfair to force them to share a space for the rest of eternity."

"Oh, but forcing Sapnap to stay with the sire that didn't feed him and ended up killing him isn't abusive?" Techno asks, glaring at Fundy.

Fundy ducks his head, looking away from Techno with guilt across his features, and Techno sighs, looking back up and between Bad and Sam. "Look. I'm not suggesting we bring Dream and the other fledgling here. They don't deserve that, and it would be unfair to everyone to allow them space here. I'm just talking about Sapnap. I believe, as the head of my coven, the coven that Dream kidnapped two humans from, that Dream's youngest fledgling redeemed himself, and that he therefore deserves to come home."

Bad and Sam share another look, before Sam sighs again. "What makes you believe this vampire redeemed himself, Techno?"

"He died in place of my covenmates," Techno responds quickly, though he knows that Sam's already well aware of what Sapnap's done to save Tommy and Tubbo. "Tommy and Tubbo have told me that his one dying wish was to see the sacred glade one last time, and he gave that up so they could survive. He resisted his sire's thrall to give Tommy and Tubbo time to escape, and his sire killed him in response."

"He's done unforgivable things," Bad says, shaking his head. "Killed-"

"Nothing he's done was worse than anything I did while under Dream's control," Techno growls, mind flashing into the past in an instant, coming back blood-drenched and furious. "Have you forgotten that I slaughtered hundreds? Have you forgotten the ribbons of blood my sire and I left in our wake? Have you forgotten the forgiveness you gave me? Are you really going to stand here and deny that same forgiveness to another one of Dream's victims?"

Bad, Sam, and the rest of the council stare at Techno in a silent shock, all of them looking frustratingly startled at his outburst, but fortunately none of them have retorted with something unimaginably stupid yet.

"I am not requesting a public, fancy, stupid service," Techno finally says, once he's got his breath. "I am demanding that you bring this vampire home, you give him the respect he deserves, honor what he's done to save my coven, and send him to Lady Death with gratitude and warmth, the way you'd do for your Guardians and Children. Do you understand?"

The room stays silent for another few moments, and Techno is about to snap that if the Archdemon and the Warden don't agree, he'll march right out of here and bring Tommy and Tubbo's rescuer home himself, when Sam finally speaks.

"You're right," He sighs, then dips his head, grief clouding his features. "He was my guardian, once. I failed to protect him. He does not deserve to be punished for my mistakes."

Beside him, Bad nods, looking up at Techno with grief in his solid white eyes. "I should have been there to welcome him as one of my children. I should have known what happened. He was turned against his will, and no one was there to defend him."

Techno stares at both of them, slightly stunned, but before he can respond, Bad continues.

"Would you like to retrieve him?" Sam finally asks, meeting Techno's eyes steadily. "Or would you like one of us to do so?"

Techno lets out a slow, even breath, glad he's finally managed to convince them both, before he dips his head slightly. "I can do that myself, if you'll prepare space for him, and send for my coven."

"Of course," Bad nods, and there's real grief in his eyes this time, enough that Techno knows, truthfully, that the Archdemon has forgiven Sapnap.

Despite the circumstances, a sense of weightlessness fills Techno's chest, then his entire body, and he lets out a small breath as he stands along with the rest of the council.

The vampire who saved Tommy and Tubbo's lives is not being shunted away anymore. His sacrifice has finally been acknowledged and given legitimacy.

Sapnap finally, finally gets to come home.

— — —

"This is the Sacred Glade," Tommy whispers, resting his hand on the small box in Techno's hands. "You're finally home."

Techno was right when he said he could convince the council, it's a warm evening in the glade, with birds singing and crickets chirping, the first few fireflies about and dancing around the small reflection pools, gleaming green-gold in the balmy air.

Techno is sitting beside Tommy and Tubbo, cross-legged on the earth, with the rest of their coven sitting as well, gathered around a small grave dug into the earth, just large enough to hold the ornately carved box in Techno's hands.

It's Sapnap's new urn, a much more fitting afterlife than the featureless clay jar from before. The box is mostly black, as vampire urns usually are, though it's accented with little designs in white, and, occasionally, orange. If he had a proper coven it would be carved with messages and well-wishes from his coven, with the coven's crest on the lid, like Purpled's was, but this time it's adorned with a simple flame motif, carved around the edges, a refiner's fire burning away the suffering and pain that was endured by the vampire held within.

He's gone, yes, but he's also finally home.

Tommy had cried when he first walked in, seeing the small grave and the small coffin in the warmth of the Sacred Glade had been almost too much to bear, knowing that Sapnap gets to come home, gets to rest in the presence of the Warden and the Archdemon again, not just once more but for eternity, had made Tommy's chest burn with an ache so fierce he hadn't known what else to do but sob, for the life and death of the vampire who'd saved his life.

"Is everyone ready?" Techno asks, glancing around at his gathered covenmates, then at Sam and Bad, waiting for affirmative nods from everyone before he gently moves the small coffin to the ground, placing it on the earth and taking a deep breath.

Tommy remembers this ritual from Purpled's funeral, when each member of a fallen vampire's coven would send their covenmate to the afterlife with their well wishes one by one, similar to the ritual of the guardian's, and even though Techno's coven was never Sapnap's, Tommy knows they'll make an alright substitution.

"Fallen vampire," Techno whispers softly, his voice barely audible above the crickets chirping. "Sapnap. Fang brother. I honor your courage and bravery, your willingness to die to defend the young of my coven. You lost your life to keep them safe, and I thank you for that." He sighs, softly, before adding; "May Lady Death receive you with the honor and warmth you deserve."

He carefully passes the small urn to Tommy, who gently sets both hands atop it, fingers tracing over the carved surface.

"Sapnap," Tommy mumbles, his voice starting to choke with tears again. "You- you were a good vampire. Thank you for helping us escape. I'm sorry you never got to see the sacred glade again, but- but you're here now, I promise." He lets out a shaky breath, and his next words are hoarse. "M- may Lady Death receive you with h- honor and warmth."

He has to have Techno's help to pass the casket to Tubbo, who's just as careful as Tommy is, though he closes his eyes when he speaks.

"Th- thank you for rescuing us," He whispers. "Dream shouldn't have killed you. I- I forgive you about Schlatt. It wasn't- you didn't-" He lets out a breath that rattles with tears. "M- may Lady Death receive you with honor and warmth."

Wilbur takes the urn next, and only murmurs a soft, 'may Lady Death receive you with honor and warmth', as do Niki and Phil, before the urn is before Sam and Bad, both of them laying hands across it's surface, gently holding the fallen vampire in the warmth and love of the sacred glade.

"Fallen vampire," Sam's voice is soothing and calm, the way it always is. "Sapnap. I wish to apologize for failing you. You were one of my guardians, and were under my protection. I should have been there to protect you, and I am sorry that I was not." He sighs softly, glancing up, and Bad speaks next, voice just as low and soft as always.

"Sapnap, vampire, Child of Mine. You did not deserve the hardship you endured, and I honor your strength and spirit in the ways that you did, and in the way you gave up your life for the sake of two others. You were kind, and you deserved my protection and love. I only wish you had survived long enough for me to give it to you."

His voice trails off, and for a long moment, no one speaks, before Sam and Bad murmur, in unison, "May Lady Death welcome you with honor and warmth and joy, fallen vampire."

Tommy watches as they lift the urn together, gently lowering it into the small grave and each taking a handful of earth to crumble atop it, like they did at Quackity's burial, before moving back a little to allow Techno and his coven to continue.

The earth is soft and warm on Tommy's hand, and it crumbles delightfully, smelling like grass and springtime and sunshine as he carefully pushes it into the grave. His fingers meet Tubbo's, and they look up at one another, grief and joy and relief inside both their gaze's, filled with a comfortable, kind softness, the kind that honors the vampire that saved their lives.

For a moment, in the reflection of his best friend's gaze, Tommy sees him, sees Sapnap standing in the center of the Sacred Glade, his eyes wide with wonder and his body sagging with relief, knowing that, for the first time in decades, he's being allowed to come home. Tommy can see Sam and Bad looking back at him, welcoming the lost vampire home with open arms, letting him finally, finally, have their blessing and their warmth.

And then he blinks, and Sapnap is gone, and all that remains is the warm earth, the sod that Sam is placing atop the grave, and the safe, soothing feeling of Tommy's coven all around him.

You made it, Sapnap. Tommy thinks, watching small orange flowers bloom within the sod of Sapnap's grave. Welcome home.