#i hope to finish the new chapter AND the reat of the already written chapters during that time

[shanklin]

Is the song you knows begun going to update again? I really love it and I’m excited to see where it goes

You know how in the fic Ford has to make everything about himself?

The bastard did it again! 😡

I also talked about it in my little rant post here, but basically I realised the fic desperately needs a little Ford intermission and now I'm trying to write something entirely new for it. 

This way I can set some stuff up for the sequel AND give poor Ford some well needed character motivation.

My goal is to make everyone in my comments, who wants Ford to suffer for his actions as well as the very few Ford defenders, mad at me. 😌🩷

So yes! I'm still working on it and it will be updated soon-ish. Stupid Ford just wants to steal the show.

So far he's failed to count to 10, lied to Stan about very important feelings and sent him away to be alone with the one true love of his life!

Thank you for the ask! 

It feels surreal that there are people actively waiting for the next chapter. Great motivation though! 🥰

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

Reliving An Old Nightmare - Chapter 14

<= Chapter 13

Summary : Snatcher has a meaningful conversation with his ex-fiancee. Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/22337299/chapters/57711178

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

NEW CHAPTER, YOOOOO !!! Didn't see it coming, DID YOU ??? WELL HERE IT IS !! Sorry for the long wait, I hope you'll like it ! At least, I had the time to work on plenty of next chapters (I finished writing the 18th chapter today, YEAAH). That way, you won't have to wait so much for the next chapters, as most of them are already written.

ALSO, this chapter has FOUR DRAWINGS ! FOUR !!!!!! The first one is one I commissioned from my very good friend Puck ! SHE'S AN AMAZING ARTIST !! A big thanks for Krekka, for the correction !

Happy reading !

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Chapter 14

Snatcher found it extremely hard to find the courage to leave his room. After the doctor left, the ghost knew very well that he was expected on the ground floor. The very thought of having to deal with Vanessa and her accomplice when they fought the same day… it made him rightfully nervous. Furthermore, he had no idea what was waiting for him. If Vanessa was still angry at him (and she probably was), then there were chances that she would punish him in whatever way she could. Even though “Simeon” was apparently against it, for a reason he didn’t know yet, Snatcher couldn’t help but be wary. In his position, being prepared for anything was the best he could do. Maybe it was a trap. Who knew?

As the shade went down the stairs slowly, he remembered what happened in the bathroom. God, it had been terrifying. Snatcher wasn’t afraid of many things, but stuck in this fleshy body, that was a different story. For a moment, he had thought he was going to die, that the Time Rift was collapsing with him inside. Granted, it didn’t last long, and things seemed to have gotten back to normal. However, there was one thing that Snatcher couldn’t get out of his mind: his shadow, or, at least, what it had looked like.

It had looked like his spectral form. Why?

The question remained unanswered as he arrived on the ground floor, bracing up for whatever was going to happen. Maybe it would just be a simple dinner! Maybe he was just expecting the worst!

…who was he kidding? He knew Vanessa too well to try to reassure himself like this. There was no way his ex hadn’t prepared something in retaliation for his earlier outburst. She really was resentful. She was still mad at him for something he didn’t even do, even centuries later! Thus, he wasn’t really relaxed. How could he, when she had an even bigger reason to punish him?

The ghost soon arrived in front of the closed kitchen door. Vanessa was probably waiting for him there. Delicious smells seemed to pass through the door, one of them feeling more familiar than the others. Snatcher felt his mouth water at the thought of eating, but he knew better. While smells were enjoyable, and while his body did need to eat, chewing food was not a pleasant experience to the spirit. The tastes and the textures always felt weird on his tongue, and managing to swallow bits of food was often difficult. Then there was the whole digestion process, which felt absolutely disgusting to him. Humans were so gross. Feeling things moving inside of him, hearing weird gurgling sounds coming from his own body… this was definitely something he wouldn’t miss.

Snatcher forced his mind to focus on the current situation and took a deep breath. He had to do this. This was his last chance to convince her; if it didn’t work, he was still going to search for the Time Piece at night in the manor. He was determined to get out of there, whether his ex liked it or not. That’s when he managed to push the door open, revealing the kitchen, plunged into darkness. Well, it wasn’t completely pitch black. On the dinner table, a few candles were lit up, enlightening their surroundings. The dining table was covered with a white tablecloth. On top of it, two place settings were put out, each on opposite ends of the table. Between them, there were a few cloches, probably keeping the food hot. White and pink flower petals were scattered around on the surface, while a flower vase was in the middle of the table, containing a bouquet of the same flowers, apparently. As soon as the ghost’s eyes fixed upon them, he found them familiar.

And finally, at one end of the table was Vanessa, waiting for him. She was wearing a beautiful red and black dress, and she was smiling brightly at him, something which made Snatcher even more uneasy than what he already was.

-“Oh, there you are, my dear!” said the Queen as she pointed to the opposite seat. “Why don’t you sit down?”

She was clearly acting as nothing had ever happened between them. Her smile was obviously fake and there was this whole… staging. What was she trying to create, a romantic setting? What a joke! The ghost frowned at the thought, trying his best to remain as stoic as he could. He wanted nothing more than just turn around and go back to his room. What was the point of all this other than making him terribly uncomfortable? Though, when he saw Vanessa’s smile waver at his hesitation, he understood quite well that she wasn’t simply asking him to sit down. It was an order.

With extreme reluctance, the shade moved to the opposite end of the table and took a seat. The Queen’s smile widened at his compliance. It made him sick.

Snatcher pointed to the table, already annoyed with Vanessa’s attitude.

-“What’s all this?” he asked, glaring at her.

The woman ignored his hostility, resting her head on her joined hands, smiling mischievously.

-“What do you mean?” she retorted, faking ignorance. Oh, this was just making Snatcher angrier. Great. So that was the game she wanted to play? Pushing his patience until he lost It? He didn’t have his powers anymore, though the urge to retaliate physically was becoming stronger and stronger. Of course, he knew better. In this state, he had zero chance against her. Unfortunately.

-“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Vanessa,” countered the spirit, pronouncing her name as if it was poison on his lips. Well, it wasn’t that far from the truth, considering how much she poisoned his entire life and afterlife combined. Apparently, she disliked his tone, and her malicious expression wavered for a brief moment. If she wanted to play that game, Snatcher would as well. And oh, he was good at playing that kind of game. There was a pause, both of them looking at each other defiantly. Snatcher thought he was doing quite a good job at being intimidating, yet he had a moment of weakness when his ex snickered.

-“Oh, you’re so cute when you’re angry,” Vanessa teased.

-“What?”

The comment made Snatcher shudder with disgust and surprise. He could feel his whole body tensing up, confusion replacing most of his emotions. What did she just say? His disarray was soon intensified as Vanessa started laughing louder, covering her mouth, eyes shut.

-“You should have seen your face!”

The ghost remained shocked for a moment, not knowing how to react. Did she just… laugh at him? He frowned as his annoyance quickly came back full force. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, trying his best to stay calm despite her attempts to peeve him. The spirit was stronger than that. He had to deal with a brat for days! A child who had managed to hurt him when he was supposed to be invincible!

Vanessa was more dangerous, yes, but she was certainly less annoying than a certain hat-wearing kid he knew quite well.

The ghost took a long breath. He could do this. He would just have to ignore her until the diner was over. How hard could it be? And, once he would return to his room, he would just have to wait for the night to come to start looking for the Time Piece. It was easy! Or, at least, that was what he was thinking until he lifted up the closest cloche in front of him, revealing the food hidden inside. As soon as he did so, the familiar scent he had smelled earlier hit him suddenly, much stronger than before. Right in front of him was a plate full of bacon slices, cooked just how he loved it.

The spirit’s first reflex was to look at Vanessa, afraid of her reaction to it. Did one of the servants make a mistake again? Was it even possible to forget Vanessa’s outburst about it when it only had been one day? However, when the ghost couldn’t see any fury in the Queen’s eye, he couldn’t help but become confused once again. His eyes went from hers to the plate successively, as if he was demanding explanations silently. From her smug expression, he deduced that it couldn’t have been a mistake. She was the one who asked for this particular dish. But why, when she absolutely loathed it so much that she had even banished it from the entire manor? It didn’t make sense to the ghost.

And, as his mind was trying to think of any possible and logical justification for this, Vanessa’s smile widened as she clarified her intentions:

-“I thought that after our… disagreement, I would bury the hatchet,” she offered, sighing as she stared at him a bit too much to Snatcher’s taste. She sighed happily and finally looked away, her smile slowly disappearing. “I’m sorry for earlier. I didn’t mean to shout at you.”

Snatcher froze the instant he heard her words. Vanessa, the immature and resentful Queen who had not hesitated to murder an entire village for a stupid misunderstanding, had just apologized to him? This couldn’t be possible. She had just yelled at him an hour ago about her not having done anything wrong! And now she was apologizing... for shouting at him? The ghost knew he wanted her to have regrets and remorses, but… it didn’t feel right. He had wanted her to realize what she had done in the past, stop acting like everything she had ever done was the right thing to do. Of course, it certainly didn’t mean he would forgive her with just apologies, but it was still something he wanted. For closure, perhaps? To feel better about what happened to Subcon? To make her pay? Probably a mix of all those things.

Now? Something was wrong and the spirit just knew it. The romantic setting? His favourite dish? Vanessa being nice to him? And especially apologizing? It was all so perfect and… fake. As a liar himself, Snatcher knew very well when he was lied to. This, right there, was the perfect example of a poisonous and dangerous lie.

The ghost frowned at the realization and glared at her. She was lying to him; she didn’t feel a single remorse for anything, whether it was about Subcon Village or what happened earlier. She was just pretending to. Her face was showing a fake sadness and the spirit knew her too well to fall in that trap. When Vanessa used to be sad about something, her lips trembled, she couldn’t bear to look at him and she had trouble to breathe calmly. But now… her lips were just sealed close, unmoving, and she was throwing glances at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. As for her breathing, it was just the same as before.

Snatcher knew it. He felt his anger growing stronger and stronger in consequence. How dare she? Was she only doing that because she had been told to? Did Simeon demand her to apologize to him? What was she even trying to do with this awful setting around them? Snatcher didn’t understand, yet he did know that Vanessa usually never did anything without a reason.

-“You don’t mean it,” muttered the ghost with a low voice. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do right now, but don’t ever lie to me about you regretting something. You never did.”

Vanessa’s fake sadness disappeared as soon as the words left his lips. Annoyance appeared on her features as if a mask had been taken off her face. She visibly wasn’t pleased about the current events and shifted her posture to reflect her irritation. Crossing her arms onto her chest, she sighed loudly.

-“I’m trying to be nice, this is what I’m doing,” she explained, frustrated. “I’m doing my best to be the better person to put the past behind us, but you’re not helping me.”

Snatcher couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This couldn’t be possible. No one could be that stupid or that entitled of themselves! But here she was, still talking about how she was the more mature of them!

-“I’m sorry?” retorted the shade, offended by her words. “You, the better person? Are you sure about that?” His tone was becoming louder and louder as his hatred for his ex was coming from him.

Vanessa remained silent, glaring at him. The temperature of the room was dropping while the Queen was breathing slowly, probably in order to control herself. She never changed and surely wouldn’t even in thousands of years.

The shade sneered, eventually laughing loudly, but it wasn’t completely sincere. He didn’t want to laugh because what was funny about all that? Yet, he couldn’t help it, completely ignoring the way his ex was looking at him. After what seemed like hours to him, he managed to stop, disregarding Vanessa’s exasperation simply because he didn’t care anymore.

There was absolutely no way he would be able to convince her. He had planned to mention the weird glitches in reality, the way he had sort of taken back his old form for a brief moment, but what was the point? She wouldn’t hear any of it and, even worse, it would come to “Simeon”’s ears. The immature Queen was stuck in an unreal world, not wanting to realize that she had been in denial all this time. The last thing Snatcher wanted was to ruin his chances to get out of here.

If Vanessa wanted to stay there and die with the dimension, that was her problem, not his. At least, it would take care of his problem of pest in Subcon Forest back to the present.

After making sure of sliding his chair noisily on the ground, the ghost stood up. He had much better things to do than whatever this farce was.

His action seemed to surprise Vanessa, as she straightened up, looking at him menacingly.

-“Where are you going?” she questioned before demanding with a more authoritative tone. “Sit back down this instant!”

Snatcher simply ignored her again, going towards the door. His body would have still liked to eat, but at the time, it wasn’t important to the spirit anymore. However, as he was about to reach the doorknob, he heard several things break behind him. He would have ignored it, if it wasn’t for the little voice telling him to turn around, just in case. He reluctantly obeyed his instincts, not without rolling his eyes in the process.

He wasn’t really surprised to see Vanessa, standing up next to the table, surrounded by cutlery and food on the floor. Apparently, she had been so furious and had thrown everything onto the floor. He gave her an unimpressed look, as he waited for whatever she wanted to tell him, crossing his arms. She probably didn’t react this way if it wasn’t to catch his attention back.

-“Why are you like this?” was came out of her mouth eventually, her voice weaker than before. The question took Snatcher aback, though he did his best not to show it.

-“You mean, reacting as I should in front of my murderer? Good question, let me think!” he retorted sarcastically.

-“Stop it! That’s exactly what I’m talking about!” His ex sat back on her chair, looking elsewhere. Somehow, her lips were trembling, and the spirit guessed that finally, he was able to see genuine sadness on her face. Too bad he didn’t care about her anymore and hadn’t been for a long time.

Silence fell between the two. The Queen rubbed her eyes while Snatcher leaned against the door, wanting nothing more than leave. However, he couldn’t deny that he felt a bit curious; if she really was sad, then maybe he could manipulate her into telling him things he needed to know. Emotions made people act without thinking, and now was the perfect opportunity to try that with her. At least, she wasn’t trying to freeze him to death at the moment, so he had his chance.

-“Why are we here, Vanessa?” He guessed that being direct was his best shot, considering how “Simeon” tended to interrupt their conversations each time he was about to learn something new. He kept going, with a nicer tone, hoping he could exploit her current weakness with it. “You can’t reproach me from being mean when I don’t even know why or how I’m here in the first place.”

Well, he knew the “how”, but he wasn’t going to reveal his means of getting out of this doomed dimension. He wasn’t that stupid.

His ex seemed to hesitate, as if she was debating with herself. She was surely trying to come up with the pros and cons of confessing whatever she was hiding from him. Now was his chance to tip the scales in favour of his situation.

-“Something is wrong with this dimension, and I know you’re aware of it. I have no idea how you managed to… recreate everything from scratch, and, look it’s impressive, but we can’t stay here. If we do, we’re going to die, Vanessa.” He paused and added, “Permanently.”

He did know how this dimension came to be, but he wasn’t supposed to know that she wasn’t the one who created it, neither that “Simeon” was her accomplice. He had to be careful with his choice of words.

-“It… it is real, Alistel,” she murmured, though Snatcher could tell she was unsure of her own words. She grabbed a fork on the ground and showed it to him, as it if was proving anything. “Look, I’m touching it! It’s… it’s here, in my hand, I can feel it!”

The shade tried not to wince when she called him by his old name, faking an expression of compassion instead. He needed her to understand. No matter how much he hated her, how much he wanted her to pay for what she had done to Subcon and all its inhabitants, it was better to have Vanessa on his side against an enemy he knew nothing about.

-“I know you don’t want to believe me, but, please, just once, trust me.”

“It would make a nice change for once…” he thought to himself, as he watched her resolve crumple little by little while she listened to him and to what he was insinuating. Her fists were clenching her dress strongly, her body shaking from the emotion. Tears were coming to her blue eyes. This was it. This was the moment he was waiting for.

-“I know your heart is in the right place,” he said, offering his hand to her right after. “Please help me get us out of here, Vanessa.”

He waited for her to accept his plan, to stand up and take his hand, telling him where was the Time Piece and especially who was the one impersonating Simeon. But she didn’t. All she did was sniff, wiping her tears with the back of her hands. When her eyes fixed upon him once again, they weren’t full of hope or sadness like Snatcher hoped. They were full of rage.

-“You just want to leave me again, don’t you?” she accused with a dark tone. Snatcher couldn’t help but grow pale when he realized that things were turning completely different than what he had expected. This was bad, he had to fix it before it turned worse!

-“No!” he replied, though it was a complete lie; leaving without his so-called soulmate, he absolutely didn’t mind doing so. But of course, saying that would be suicidal.

-“Liar!” screamed Vanessa, while the temperature dropped once again. Ice started to spread around her from her feet, engulfing whatever it met. “You’re lying so I can help you leave me once again!”

Well, she had completely seen right through him. He opened his mouth again, wanting to justify himself, try to defend his plan even if it was already too late, but she cut him short by another yell, louder than the first one:

-“Get out! Get out!” she shouted, putting her head into her hands as sobs could be heard through them. “I don’t want to see you anymore, get out of here!”

Her last sentence broke as she started to cry even more.

Snatcher stayed still a few seconds, staring at her. He didn’t feel guilty, not after everything that had happened. He hated her too much to feel anything positive about her, even if hundreds of years had passed since then. Seeing her crying should make him happy; however, it wasn’t the right time.

Snatcher had a Time Piece to find. If she couldn’t help him, then… she might die all alone and painfully, and he wouldn't even care the slightest. She deserved that. That was what he thought, as he finally grabbed the door handle, opening the door without saying anything.

This was a farewell then.

“Good,” thought Snatcher darkly as he left the room, listening to her cries like a pleasant melody he would remember for a long time, until he couldn’t hear them anymore, too far away.

The way back to his room was silent. He bumped into a few servants on the way to his room, ignoring them when they bowed to him. None of this was real. Why should he bother playing Vanessa’s game when he was so close to being saved?

He got back to his room quite fast, even if he couldn’t help but be paranoïd all the way. After his argument with Vanessa, he had all the reasons to believe something bad was going to happen to him. But nothing did, which was a bit too suspect for Snatcher’s taste. When he opened the door, he tried to be extremely careful, just in case “someone” was hidden in his bedroom. But, once again, nothing unusual.

This was too calm.

The ghost made a few steps inside and closed the door behind him. He sighed. Well, all he had to do now was to wait a few hours and leave his room to start the search for the time artefact. But, before he was even able to sit on the bed, the spirit heard something from behind him:

Click!

Someone had locked the door, trapping him inside the room.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

WELP. I'M GOOD WITH CLIFFHANGERS, AREN'T I ? Don't worry, you won't have to wait too long!

I hope you liked this chapter ! Thank you for your patience and all your support, it means so much to me !

See you on the next chapter and stay safe !

=> Chapter 15