Chapter Eight

Nick looked around him in surprise, laughing when he saw the green tuxedo he was wearing. "Oh this is definitely interesting."

Kevin appeared next to Nick, dressed similarly, although his tuxedo was black. "I guess we're dressed for the performance."

"You guys finally made it," a raven flew into the room and landed on Nick's shoulder.

Nick shrugged off the raven, frowning when he swore he saw the damn bird smirk. "Your boss asked us to perform for him three years ago. We've been waiting for a while."

"Well, the boss has been waiting. Tonight's a big night." Matthew flew around his head in a circle, enjoying how much he was annoying the blond man.

"What's going on tonight?" Kevin asked.

"Ooh, I don't know if I should say," Matthew buzzed around the room quickly. "Bad stuff."

"We're here, don't we have a right to know what we're involved in?" Kevin challenged.

"You're just entertainment," Matthew chirped. "It's the boss who's saying goodbye."

"Saying goodbye?" Nick's eyes widened and he grabbed the raven in his hands. "Stop talking like your stupid boss and explain yourself."

"Ow. Let go!" Matthew's wings flapped until Nick let him go, and he flew to Kevin's shoulder and landed with a sigh. "Morpheus does things he shouldn't at times, all people do. He likes playing with mortals."

"Like he played with us?" Kevin asked.

Matthew shrugged, as much as a bird can shrug. "Creating your group was something beyond the Endless Family."

"What do you mean?" Nick stared at the bird perched on his friend's shoulder.

"Some things are just meant to be." Matthew's beak flapped as he looked at Nick. "Your group has nothing to do with the situation at hand, not really anyway, although losing two of you like that didn't help."

"Losing two of us, what?" Nick's eyes widened and he stared at the bird.

"When people protected by the Endless die, it's not good for the Endless, ya know?" Matthew stopped speaking with a quick chirp when he realized they didn't know about Howie yet, since it had happened since the two men had gone to sleep for the night. "Not important. Anyway…"

"What is the situation at hand?" Kevin asked, not catching what Nick had about 'losing two.'

"Morpheus is being blamed for the death of a child of a mortal woman. This woman, with the help of a vile, despicable creature, is using the past to destroy Morpheus now." Matthew sighed. "Boss made a biiiiiiiiig mistake a long time ago. He's gonna have to pay for it now."

"What did he do?" Nick's eyes narrowed as he looked at the bird, his earlier question forgotten for the time being.

Matthew's voice fell to a hushed whisper as he flew between the two men, and waved with his wing for them to move in close. "He killed his son."

Nick gasped and took a step back. The Endless were essentially good, or so he'd thought….how could he do something so evil… "How?"

"The method is not relevant, he did, for reasons more complicated than either of you can understand. And for that, Lyta is able to seek revenge for her son." Matthew spoke softly, and both men had to strain to hear him. "Boss is a good guy, but sometimes he has to do bad things. It sounds trite, and superheroish, but it's true."

"How can he be destroyed, though? He's immortal." Kevin asked in confusion.

"The Endless are immortal. Morpheus can be killed, though." Matthew shrugged. "I don't quite get it myself, although he explained it to me. There will always be a Dream, but he will not always be Morpheus."

"So we're here to sing at some party where he's saying goodbye, because he's going to be killed?" Nick couldn't believe this. He'd been feeling great in his life, happy for the first time in years, and now he was singing at some warped funeral for a God. Talk about a mood killer.

"Yes. His sister will take him after this." Matthew flew into the air, his wings flapping wildly. "Are you ready?"

"No…" Kevin shook his head, but he followed the bird into the other room anyway.

The two men found themselves in the front of a large hall, filled with people and creatures the likes of which they had never seen. They recognized some people, as well as members of the Endless Family standing around, but most were just nameless, ageless faces, probably older than any of them could imagine. They took their spot in front of the audience, and began singing the same song they'd sung for Dream so many years before. It only seemed appropriate…given the party they were singing at. When they finished, they were met with thunderous applause, and Dream came over to thank them.

"I promised both of you answers." Dream waved them into another room, and waited for them to sit before speaking. "I know Matthew explained to you why you were here today. Thank you for your performance, my guests appreciated the entertainment."

"No problem," Nick shrugged, not exactly sure what else to say.

"Now, for your questions. Kevin?" Dream turned his black eyes on the man, looking at him curiously.

Kevin raised a pair of tired eyes to look at Dream. He was starting to feel old….sitting across from a dying immortal. "My cousin….is he in heaven? Will I see him there someday?"

Dream nodded slowly. "Of that you can be sure."

Kevin let out a deep sigh of relief, and buried his head in his hands, surprised by the tears that came to his eyes at the knowledge. "Brian was right all along." His faith had always told him he'd be in heaven someday.

"Nick, your question?" Dream asked softly, "I do not mean to hurry you, but time is running short."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Why what?" Dream looked at Nick in confusion.

"Why have Kevin meet Death, why make me fall in love with her, why did your family touch every one of us, why take my best friend away after making sure we created something so special. WHY." Nick repeated in exasperation.

Dream shook his head slowly, "I cannot give you all the answers you seek."

"Just one," he whispered pitifully.

"Your best friend was scared to die. Because of your love for my sister, you were able to take his fear away." Dream said softly. "Brian was not afraid when he died because of you."

Nick gasped as tears sprung to his eyes. "I…really?"

"Yes. That is one reason. The true number of reasons are infinite." Dream stood up. "Thank you both for your performance tonight. We will not meet again." He looked at them both, and disappeared as he spoke the words… "wake up."

*******************************************

That night, millions of people around the world dreamt of a wake. It was an awesome, immense celebration, of a creature who had served his function well, but in the end, proved to be as human as the mortals he so loved to tease.

In the morning, very few thought to question the nature of their dream, assuming it was just another strange dream that one often has, with creatures that can only come from the imagination floating around.

Two, in particular, knew that the dream was something more, and they gathered for breakfast at Nick's house, determined to figure out what had happened the night before. Not only were they pretty sure Morpheus was dead, but a feeling of dread had come over both of them, making them wonder what else had happened. You couldn't kill a kind of god without consequences, could you?

"Was that his funeral?" Nick asked softly.

Kevin nodded, "I think so."

Nick looked up with a sigh as the phone rang. "I wonder if that's my editor, I owe him a manuscript." He picked up the phone and softly said hello, his eyes widening in horror as he heard the voice on the other end. "Oh jesus," he whispered, and dropped the phone, sinking to the floor as the immensity of the news hit him.

"What?" Kevin was up like a bolt of lightning, catching Nick as he crumpled to the floor. "Who was on the phone?"

Nick held on to Kevin for dear life, tears falling down his face as he struggled to get the words out, "That was AJ…Howie's dead." Fifty years may have passed since the day the two men had first met, but Kevin would always be able to comfort Nick like nobody else in the world, and he clung to him, needing the support.

Kevin felt his heart sink into his chest, and his arms tightened in a vice grip around Nick in reaction, "What happened?"

"He killed himself," Nick whispered in horror, thoughts flying through his head at the speed of light. They'd been told that Brian had gone to Heaven…did that mean Howie was now in Hell? God, what had he done…

"Why…how?"

"I don't know," Nick pulled away from Kevin, his eyes focusing on the locket around the older man's neck. "But there's one way to find out."

"Nick," Kevin grabbed the locket and held onto it tight. "I don't know, Morpheus was buried last night, do you think we can do this now?"

"Not now," Nick shook his head. "We do it right this time, and we go prepared."

"Ok," Kevin nodded. First they had a friend to bury. He couldn't believe it…for the second time, they were burying a Backstreet Boy.

**************************************

Kevin sat alone at his favorite restaurant, eating his favorite dinner, reading his favorite paper. His life was filled with favorites these days….he felt like he might as well make sure what he did in the time he had left he loved to do, right? After all, if he'd learned anything, it was that nobody knew how much time they had left. Even those who were supposed to know. In two weeks, he would be meeting Nick in London, where they would go visit Rose Walker one more time. They'd kept in touch with the woman over the years, knew that she was still single, and trying to live her life alone, without the Endless' interference. They would need to try to convince to her to one again, explore the world of the Endless.

"We meet again." The woman said in a soft voice, looking down at him with a grin.

Kevin whirled around to glare at the woman, he'd know that voice anywhere. "Thessaly."

She nodded solemnly, and sat down across from him at the table. "I must ask, how are you feeling?" She looked at him curiously.

Kevin shrugged, "Fine. What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you'd feel any sort of pain…being that Morpheus is dead, and all." Thessaly smirked. "Whether or not you choose to admit it, his effect on your life is undeniable."

"My life is my own." Kevin stood up and glared down at her, his eyes blazing. "I will ask you one more time, then I'm leaving. What do you want?"

"Such a shame about Howie…" Thessaly mused softly.

Kevin dug his fingernails into his palms, hard, concentrating on the pain to keep himself from hitting the woman. He had to stay calm, had to hear what she had to say about Howie… "What about him."

"To take your own life, that's awful." She shook her head slowly. "But I suppose that's what happens when you're touched by Despair, huh."

"He lived with Despair his entire life, Thessaly, what pushed him over the edge?" Kevin hissed, his green eyes flashing black sparks.

Thessaly's eyes widened under the thick frames of her glasses as she saw Kevin's eyes react. "Morpheus…" she breathed. "He lives in you."

"Tell me." Kevin grabbed the woman's wrist and squeezed tight, praying she wouldn't disappear on him again. "What did you do to Howie?"

Thessaly laughed wryly, and plucked Kevin's hand off of her wrist delicately. "I just showed Howie his own reflection."

"What?" Kevin frowned, but she was gone. He stared at the empty space in front of him and shook his head. One of these days…that woman would get what was coming to her. One of these days.

Of that he was sure. For another thing he'd learned from the Endless, was that what goes around, comes around. Even if it takes a lifetime….it comes around.

********************************************