Hey, guys! Ok, just a couple of things. The last chapter was hugely inspired by a picture by the amazingly-talented Creative-Dreamr on DA, where Fear is tenderly cuddling a toddler Riley as she sleeps (I'll Protect You, Riley). It is SUCH a gorgeous pierce, and he looks upon her with such love and devotion. And then we got talking about how maybe Fear wishes he could physically and verbally show her love, assurance, and protection, like her parents. Do check it out! Creative-Dreamr is such an awesome artist, and she's a major friend-shipper of Fear and Sadness like I am.

Item #2: My friend Leeanix on DA, who knows her science and biology, pointed out that Fear's antenna is NOT his axon, but his dendrite. The axon is the body of a neuron (which Fear is).

"That's it. We're screwed!" Anger declared. "It's been over a day. They ain't coming back."

The emotions were huddled around the console, waiting for Riley to fall asleep. Although she had been in bed for the past forty-five minutes, Fear's distant influence was keeping her rest at bay, much to their chagrin. And while the longer Riley stayed awake, the longer they could delay the nightmares, but she still needed whatever sleep she could scrape. If Fear were there- in his right mind- he surely would have insisted on doing whatever they could to keep her awake for as long as possible, but as Sadness would have no doubt argued, all it would accomplish was delaying the inevitable.

"Anger, don't forget that the train's been compromised, so that's obviously slowed her down," Joy patiently reminded him. Her spritely visage remained doused, like a swarm of dark clouds trapping the sun. "Sadness knows it's not safe to risk it. Besides, she knows Riley's mind like the back of her hand. I believe in her." With those three concluding words, a flicker of her familiar self returned for as long as it took to utter them. They rang of a weak, desperate prayer, accentuated by the clasping of her hands. "She… she can fix anything." Another spark, slightly brighter than the last, and then it was lost again.

"All we can do is hope that Riley won't remember her nightmares of Shadowman in the morning," sighed Disgust. "Sadness was right; we were playing right into his hands by constantly waking her up."

Anger growled, "Well, he's still got us cornered there, hasn't he? He's been making sure he's also the last thing Riley sees right before she wakes up to her favorite boy band." Last night was no exception, the firebrick recalled all-too-well.

An impatient roar erupted from him. He slammed his meaty fists onto the console, igniting it in a scorching-red. "That does it. We're doing what we should've done in the first place, what Sadness did last year! We're telling Mom and Dad!"

"No way! We talked about this, flame-brain! Do you know how embarrassing that would be at our age?" Disgust cried, shoving him away. "Look, I'm all for being open and honest with them, but that was different! Worst-case scenario, they think we're certifiably nuts; worst-worst-case, they end up mollycoddling us for the rest of our days, and we're living at home with them forever!" She cut off Anger's rebuttal with a curt snap of her fingers in his face, without so much as a pause. "And what if this accidentally slips out to any of our friends? To Jordan? This whole sharing thing we've learned at Youth Group is going to spell the death of our social life. And I'm putting a stop to it!" She flounced over to the nook where the idea bulbs were stored.

"Disgust, come on!" Joy begged, looking even paler than a minute ago. Even the fluidity of her particles seemed to drop to a grinding sputter. "Riley loves Youth Group! She can't quit!"

But the idea was already planted. Flipping a switch, Disgust proclaimed, "If Mom and Dad say anything, we tell them the simplest form of the truth- that we just don't see the need to continue."

"But that's not true at all!" protested Joy. "If we're not going to tell Mom and Dad, then we need Youth Group now more than ever."

"If it weren't for Youth Group, Riley would never have been reminded of Shadowman in the first place," Disgust argued, "and none of this would ever have happened. Besides, all that talk about how Fear is our worst enemy probably didn't help!"

All of the emotions would collectively wince when their counsellor talked about that throughout Fear Week. None of them could forget the shock and deep hurt in their lavender friend's features. They knew how he had always prided himself on his ability to keep Riley safe, and how seriously he took his duty… and to hear such things about him was surely like a knife through his heart. Not for all the world would Fear ever do anything to hurt Riley…

Never intentionally.

None of them dared bring it up since, not even Fear. But it was terribly obvious to all how strongly it affected him; he always was poor at hiding whatever bothered him, and his forced attempts at cheerfulness or immersing himself in a triple-load of paperwork were telling signs. Sadness, on a few occasions, looked as though she were about to say something to him, but stopped at the last minute.

Disgust sighed. Her expression softened, but her emerald eyes remained locked in resolution. "Look, guys, Riley's terrified enough about everybody she knows finding out what a terrible person she believes she is. You've seen how strong the new Guilt Island is running! She's convinced it's only a matter of time before she lets down somebody else she cares about. Mom and Dad forgave us for the whole 'running away' disaster, but she's worried that they really didn't… or that they won't next time, or worse, they won't love us anymore. She actually thinks she deserves that!" she spat. "Fear's feeding her all these lies from wherever he is out there-" She faltered, realizing what she said, and let out a noise of exasperation. "Look, my point is, she doesn't need any more stress right now. Riley's already accepted the idea, anyway. When- if- this is all over, maybe we'll reconsider. Besides, none of us has the power to change her mindset anymore. Fear's locked us right out, however he can even do that."

Anger folded his stubby arms. "Maybe you're right," he quietly acceded.

"At least we're no longer in the hospital. Riley was terrified about being alone, on top of everything else," Joy said, running a hand through her hair- a very unusual gesture for their golden leader- making it even more unkempt. "If it weren't for that medication the nurse gave her, she never would have fallen asleep last night."

"Not that it stopped him," grumbled Anger.

Up on the screen, the view flickered momentarily, then went blank. "Ugh, finally," Disgust moaned. "Look, if one of you guys take care of Short-Term, I'll take Dream Duty."

As the dozens of purple orbs were sent away, Joy watched their descent to Long-Term, as was her nightly custom. But ever since Shadowman's return, the light-show was no longer the magical experience that filled her with pride and peace.

Disgust made herself as comfortable as she could on the sofa in time for the nightmare. Joy and Anger were already in their quarters. "This guy is so seven years ago," she snorted.

Five minutes later, the other two emotions were jolted awake by a yell of "Guys, get in here!"

They regrouped immediately, just as Disgust was shrieking as she gestured wildly to the terrifying imagery on-screen, "Shadowman's not alone this time! It's all the rest of Riley's oldest and darkest fears! And they've had- oh, my gosh- makeovers!"

Anger exploded, "What does this mean? What's he up to now?"

"I think," Joy said slowly, her face draining, "that he's sending us a message. Sadness warned us about this. Fear's already gotten powerful enough to make his army strong." She swallowed. "Headquarters is in danger, and so is Riley's mental state."

Sadness was trapped in the deepest level of the Subconscious. Their old basement.

All around her, hundreds of Mind Workers were scattered. Of course Lord Fear would imprison them down here, as the hole still existed on the main level. The door at the top of the winding, rickety stairs was bolted, with no sign of opening anytime soon… or ever.

Sadness had already forgiven Fear. Her pain and sorrow was all for him, while her terror was reserved for her friends and Riley. She couldn't shake the horrific imagery and sounds from her tour of the revamped Imagination Land, nor the cruelty Fear had proven himself capable of.

But it wasn't her friend. He was still in there; she had seen it, however fleeting, when she confronted him on his crimes. It was the most painful experience of her life, and she had seen how nearly mad it had driven him. Yet, it still wasn't enough.

I wasn't enough to save him… again.

He could only grow worse, until whatever was left of the real him faded away. He would mercilessly rule over Riley's mind. He could destroy her. Headquarters would fall. And she would be trapped down here until the day they died.

The worst thing about it all was that Fear had never wanted this. He never asked for any of this. He was simply a deeply, deeply troubled emotion whose circumstances went beyond his control. And Shadowman could not have picked a worse time to seize upon him.

It was over. She would never see any of them again, could never tell Fear how sorry she was that she had never been there for him in his greatest time of need. If she had not wasted time waiting for Fear to invite her in, but had rather been more assertive, this might never have happened. He had, in his silence, managed to inflict the greatest punishment on himself.

But Sadness knew that Fear had never intended for Riley to share his fate.

Another vortex suddenly formed several feet away, marking its arrival with jagged shots of lightning. All it took was a flicker from the corner of her eye, and Sadness's attention was properly trapped. As the spectral ring swirled and shifted on elongated edges, her mind was entirely swallowed by the pit of oblivion. Where anything could be sent, never to end up in the same place twice. But why was it here now? Who or what was on the other side? What were Fear's intentions for her? These questions orbited around her, making her twice as dizzy, dulling the alarm going off inside her and allowing a kind of resigned curiosity to seep over.

Sadness's answer was given mere seconds later, though it seemed like an eternity, and her trance-like state was broken. A figure was hurled through, landing in a crude heap on the stone-cold basement floor.

But the form her answer would take, nothing could have prepared her for. In the relentless darkness, she couldn't see a thing, but she retained her natural ability to sense sorrow. Why, shortly after she had helplessly witnessed Joy's descent into the dump, what she had detected from its depths was unlike anything she had ever imagined. It was impossible, unnatural, but what else could it have been? She had made out Bing-Bong's pain too, having previously tuned into his own 'aura', but what she also felt was practically overpowering. It was crippling, and it sent the teardrop into a tailspin of inconsolable despair. She plainly remembered believing, at that precise moment, that all really was lost.

But this present type of feeling, she had grown accustomed to over the course of a year, only now magnified by a million. The source was beyond familiar, yet still shocking, as she had seriously begun to think she might never know it again. It filled her with surmounting waves of hope that she so desperately longed to drown in, and at the same time, crushing grief. It was that which she should have addressed long ago…

Sadness let herself be lead in the direction of the sensation, like a weary traveler following the north star. As she trekked through Shadowman's element with as much clarity as if she had her vision to rely on, the silence gave way to a weak, barely audible whimper like a wounded animal. All was still again before it resumed seconds later, escalating into a series of quivering gasps and sobs that varied in pace and pitch.

As she grew closer to the cries, she suddenly found the energy to break into a sprint. She could already feel unchecked tears rain down her face, and she welcomed them more than she ever had in her life. Somehow, her own namesake urged her on with newfound speed and determination, even if she still couldn't reach her goal nearly fast enough. His name found its way to her lips, bursting free like a built-up dam as her heart did the same.

At last she made it. The feeling was so potent by now, it was practically shrieking like a bat out of hell. And she embraced it like an old friend. To her immense gratitude, a sliver of light flitted down from a crack in the ceiling. It wasn't much- it served as a poor substitute for Joy- but it was their only source of light, and it was enough for her to take in every inch of him.

But her own version of exuberation quickly shriveled to a fine smattering of dust. Gone was every trace of Lord Fear, and there was only her dear friend… but what she saw made her nearly scream, stopped at the last second only by her desire not to frighten him.

Like a badly-glitching game graphic, Fear's particles spazzed and fizzled in and out of focus. Great chunks of them were completely missing as if gouged clean from his very being; they lay scattered across his houndstooth sweater- which itself was torn in various places, along with his slacks, while his bowtie limply hung by a thread- in erratic patterns, leaving behind ugly gaping holes of nothing. His color was no longer that malevolent maroon, but it wasn't back to normal either, instead remaining a strained, sickeningly pale purple that reminded her of a dying violet. Practically transparent, he threatened to completely fade from existence at any moment. His eyes were slits as he curled in on himself, almost resembling one of his own memories, and he trembled wildly.

Her blood froze over, painfully echoing to the marrow of her bone. Nothing could have prepared for this. Nothing.

"Fear?" Sadness whispered once she miraculously managed to coax her voice out, blanketing him with her shadow as she leaned in close. At this, Fear turned his back to her, shrinking deeper into his pathetic ball of solitude with a piteous whimper. "Oh, Fear, no… what's happened? What did he do to you?" she whispered.

Her only response were more strangled utters as they started to overlap in their sheer desperation. Like a caged and abused creature provoked into a maddening flight-or-fight spiral, with no resistance at its fingertips nor way out.

What made it all the more unbearable was his blatant refusal to acknowledge her. Couldn't he hear her? Didn't he recognize her voice?

"Fear, it's me- Sadness!" She reached a trembling hand to his shoulder, one of the places his sparking particles were revealed through the gash in the fabric. Despite her urgency, she did so with twice her usual care and delicacy.

And when she had just barely made physical contact, Fear screamed.

It was the single most horrifying sound Sadness had ever heard. It was beyond anything from Riley's darkest nightmares, unlike anything Fear himself uttered in his life- more to the point, that she knew even he could give voice to.

Inhuman. Beyond comparison. Sadness knew it would haunt her for the rest of her days.

It lasted for about two seconds, followed by an abrupt silence that felt even more hollow and unnatural in its wake. Sadness's ears still rang, and she could swear that the very air around them vibrated.

"No… no more."

Sadness stuttered, "Fear?"

"Please. No more games, no more tricks," came the murmured plea.

"Fear, it's me! Look at me!"

"Stop it, please, just STOP IT! NO MORE! Just finish me off, and be done with it. I'm yours, don't you think I get that? Isn't it enough you've taken away everyone I ever cared about, when I alone deserve to pay the price? I can't listen to her voice anymore, I can't bear to see her shadow staring back at me!"

"Fear!"

"NO! IT'S OVER, I'M DONE, I CAN'T, THERE'S NOTHING LEFT! But say whatever you want- I know Riley will stop you somehow. She's stronger than you think, than you ever will be. And when she does, Headquarters will rise again… even if I'll never be with her again. At least she'll be free of us both."

It was evident that every brittle, raspy word caused him tremendous agony on all levels.

Sadness wept, at a complete loss. Fear's scarring ran deep, refusing to so much as let him acknowledge her presence. She was terrified that another touch, even another word, would destroy what was left of his fragile self.

Large drops, hot and plentiful, splashed the back of his neck. She didn't notice them trickle down his own face.

It seemed to go on indefinitely. She felt as though she could have re-created every ocean in the world, but she felt anything but better for it. In fact, Sadness eventually realized that she felt every bit as hollowed-out within as Fear was on the surface.

She had come so close. Was this really how it was going to end? One thing was for sure- if this was how it was supposed to be, at least she would be with him until the very end.

Sadness was too late. I'm so sorry. Fear, Riley, everyone… She wished that every tear cried could somehow turn into memories that she could send up to Headquarters as her final message to the others and to their girl. I don't know what's going to happen now, but I love you all so much.

And, as though Joy herself had placed a hand over her heart, she experienced- ever-so-slight, but amazingly potent- a surge. If Fear, poor, lost Fear could have the strength to not only defy his oldest and darkest foe, but to call upon such faith that was normally all but alien to him- such noble, blessed faith, and now of all times- then how could Sadness possibly dishonor him by not adhering to the same?

So, this is what it feels like. A semblance of what you live every day, Joy. Maybe it was right, maybe it was wrong, but what mattered was that it felt so right. Nothing could take that from them, not even Shadowman.

"S-S-S…"

Sadness's eyes flew open, expelling the remainder of salt-water.

"Sa- S- Sa… 'ad- 'adness?"

"Shhh," she whispered to Fear, fighting her every screaming instinct to show him some physical comfort. But there was just no way of knowing how he would react yet. Now that she had somehow broken through, baby steps were called for. "I'm really here, Fear. I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving you again. You have to save your energy now."

"So c-c-cold down here, like him. But your tears… so warm." His meager scrap of a voice carried volumes of relief, joy, and love. "O-only you."

The dam burst anew, and the sapphire emotion took those words as her cue to lift Fear into her arms. Ever-so-gently. Not a particle was lost to the darkness as she held him close, and even his convulsions began to ebb.

It was terrifying how light he was in his current condition.

Sadness gazed down into his face, which was hungrily locked on her in turn, as though it would be enough for his sickly body and spirit to just remain so forever.

He succumbed deeply unto her, creating a makeshift nest in the comfort of her sweater. "I thought I would never- please- oh, so much to say," he choked, fighting against himself.

"Shhh," repeated Sadness, placing a finger to his lips. "Rest now."

His eyes gradually fluttered shut like an exhausted butterfly. With an immense sigh, he let himself sink into her very real essence.

Sadness began to croon as she rocked him:

"Nothing's going to harm you,

Not while I'm around…"