"Ugh..." Tim heard the groan next to him, feeling that his arms tied behind his back when he tried to move. He opened his eyes to see he was blindfolded, unable to see anything.

"Do you fear that Zalgo will retaliate? I mean, Jeff only joined his side as long as Masky was protected..." Tim recognized the voice as Toby, shifting suddenly only to cry out as his chest hurt so much. He heard footsteps come toward him and he still felt it hard to breathe still, but he still tried to move away.

"Hey. You are conscious." Hoodie said.

"No dip sherlock... Now, let me go..." Tim said, though he froze. The words came out of his mouth like instinct and he would have never been that brave.

"I see you are becoming you again. Good." Hoodie said, chuckling.

"I am me! Where is Jeff?" Tim asked, trying to get the blindfold off.

"He is being interviewed by Slenderman. He will be... dealt with severely."

"NO!! NO NO NO!!" Tim yelled, struggling no matter the pain he felt.

"Shut up Masky. He deserves this for what he---"

"My name is Tim!!" Tim yelled, feeling like crying.

"It's Masky. It hasn't been Tim in a long time, moron."

"It's been Tim since I was born and it always will be!"

"You are Masky. Accept that, maybe I get Slenderman to spare Jeff." Tim stopped himself from saying something he might regret for Jeff's sake.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! FUCKING LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! TIMMMMM! DON'T FUCKING HURT MY PRETTY BOY!"

"Jeff!!" Tim, made himself sit up not able to see with the blindfold but he could hear him.

"YOU BASTARDS! DON'T LISTEN TO THEM, KIDDO! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

"Someone shut him up..."

"No! Don't hurt him please!" Tim begged, needing Jeff to be safe.

"FUCKING TOUCH ME I DARE YOU! ZALGO! ZALLLLLGOOOO! DEMON! ZALGO!" Nothing happened and Hoodie only laughed.

"He can't save you here!"

"FUCKING DEMON GET YOUR ASS HERE OR I WILL FUCKING CALL OFF THIS MOTHERFUCKING DEAL! ZALGO!" Jeff roared,

"He's not coming! He's not freaking coming..." Tim said, feeling like everything was lost.

"Accept that you are Masky..."

"MASKY WAS A RUDE GLITCH WHO DESERVED TO BE FORGOTTEN!!" Tim screeched, his face slapped hard after a second that it sinked in.

"Masky was our comrade and our FRIEND. WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS BULLSHIT!" Hoodie snarled.

"DID YOU JUST HIT HIM?! YOU FUCKERS! AHHHH! LET! ME! OUT! NOW!"

"I don't want to be Masky..."

"You will be once our Master gets here and fixes your memories..." Tim froze, moving back until he hit a wall.

"No no no!!"

"Dammit Masky! You will enjoy being you once you remember!"

"Is that what you told me when I was 17? That I'll enjoy killing people?!" Tim asked, feeling like he was having a panic attack with his chest hurting and he was slowly finding it hard to keep his breath steady.

"Yes. And you agreed with me soon after."

"Why? I was a good kid..." Tim said, scrunching up in a ball only to wince as it pressed on his broken rib.

"You loved the freedom it gave you."

"What if I don't want my memories back...?"

"You'll be happy to have them back once you remember.... And you'll understand why you hate Jeff like you should.."

"NO! I don't hate Jeff! I... I love him..." Tim said softly only to be smacked once more and he wished he had the use of his hands and eyes back.

"He murdered your family!"

"What?" Tim said, lifting his head toward the voice. "Y-you're lying!!"

"He is the reason they are DEAD, Masky. Ask him! ASK HIM!"

"Jeff? Is this true?" Tim asked, thinking of his loving mother only and not that Hoodie called him Masky.

"I... I didn't know."

"What do you mean you didn't know?" Tim asked, his voice cracking like his heart was feeling like.

"I didn't know it was your house."

"And that makes it ok?" Tim voice cracked, shutting his mouth for a moment as he didn't want to cry. "Did they suffer?"

"They didn't suffer... Gods I didn't know!"

"They didn't suffer... They didn't suffer..." Tim said, trying to calm himself down but he was getting a headache, one that led to memories and he was really trying hard not to hate Jeff. He made a promise to him, and he wanted to keep it. "I need my pills... Please..."

"No. Remember. Remember WHO YOU ARE!"

"I think you should release Timothy and Jeffrey..."

"Zalgo!" Tim heard Hoodie yell and he smiled, slumping against the wall as staying upright hurt.

"YOU FINALLY CAME!!' Jeff yelled, banging on a door somewhere.

"You're not allowed here! They came into the forest of their own free will!" Hoodie yelled.

"Release them now. They are under MY protection, and I will not allow this." Zalgo said, picking up Tim. "Why are you injured, Timothy?"

"I... Tried to protect Jeff..." Tim groaned, his ribs hurting like it was on fire now he was moved suddenly.

"I shall heal that soon enough."

"Save Jeff..." Tim said, still unable to see or move his arms but all he cared about was Jeff.

"Release the boy, Brian." Zalgo said, as he untied Tim and removed the blindfold.

"No! He attacked us and you know the law!"

"Do you have proof? Video recording? Pictures? Audio?"

"There is always a camera turned on outside the house in case of intruders... I can show you it!" Hoodie was smirking like he planned all of this.

"Show me." Hoodie grabbed a camera from the corner. Zalgo smirked, and took the camera, corrupting the feed for the last few hours. "I see nothing but static..."

"You... You ruined it!!" Hoodie growled, taking a pipe.

"I did nothing of the sort..." Zalgo said, holding the boy.

"Either way, you know the rules Zalgo! If they want to leave, they have to find their way out... With us behind them..."

"I will bend the rules for Timothy. He is injured and needs medical attention... Jeffrey can handle the forest." Zalgo said, looking down at the child.

"N-no! I'm not leaving Jeff!" Tim yelled, not wanting Jeff hurt again.

"Go! Go Tim! I can handle myself! I want you at the house when I get back! Call Ben! Tell him what happened!!"

"Fine.. But if Jeff loses... We are coming for Masky..."

"Hm... A fantasy at most." Zalgo said, his faith in Jeff.

"Go. We shall release Jeff in an hour to play our game... See you soon, Masky." Hoodie smirked before heading to a door.

Zalgo teleported the boy to Jeffrey's home, laying him down on the couch. He placed a hand on his stomach, before slowly healing him.

"I shall help Jeffrey escape from the forest... I shall bend the barrier so he can actually escape... They planned to just allow him to wander endlessly... Not under my watch." Zalgo said, chuckling.

"Why... Am I cold?" Tim asked, shivering as the cold started in his chest before spreading throughout his body.

"A side effect of my power..."

"T-thank y-you... F-for helping us..." Tim shivered, smiling at the demon.

"I honor my deals... especially when it has so much to gain from it. Jeffrey is a well known creepypasta, and a very powerful one at that... As is Masky... But you wish to remain happy and ignorant."

"Is it bad to... Want to be ignorant? I didn't want to know that Jeff killed my parents... But now I know and I wish I just kept my mouth shut."

"No... It is not bad to want to forget the past. Jeffrey... murdered your family, yes, but he was much more troubled in the past, and your family was not the 'perfect' group that you barely remember..."

"Perfect is far from what my family was..." Tim said, the cold subsiding as the pain went away.

"Jeffrey was an alcoholic back then, trying to hide his pain from murdering his own family... He has accepted it since then, and has become a much better man from it." Zalgo said, raising to his full height again.

"I just wish I could help him more and just.. Be normal for him..."

"I shall speak to Slender about this... This will not happen again, if I have any say in it." Zalgo said, nodding.

"Thank you... But I really don't know why they want me back..." Tim said, his hand shaking as now he was relaxed he felt the need for a cigarette badly, all of this making him anxious.

"Masky was a powerful creepypasta, one of the most feared through our world. Anyone who had him would be very dangerous to mess with... He was personally trained by Slenderman..." Zalgo said, explaining.

"I don't remember much that day before I went into the woods when I was 17... But why would I even think of killing people? I wasn't like that..."

"Humans have a dark side to their personalities... You might have been convinced."

"What would happen if I did remember? Would I suddenly change to Masky or would I still be me only with the memories of a darker me?" Tim asked, wondering this for a while now.

"You would remember... your personality might change... your opinions of people would change... and you would have your powers returned."

"Powers?"

"You have the powers of Slenderman, on a smaller scale."

"I could teleport?! Man, that would be easier getting to work everyday..." Tim smiled, trying to lighten the mood as it was getting dark.

"Yes, and produce static." Zalgo said, chuckling.

"I better call Ben and tell him what happened... Go to Jeff... He needs you more than I do right now..."

"Jeff did request that..." Zalgo said, nodding. He left in a flash, and Tim was alone. He went to the phone only to see a pair of his pants with a full cigarette pack in the pocket, taking a deep breath and picking up the phone before dialing Ben's number that was by the phone.

"I am strong... I don't need it... I have Jeff.. But I don't have Jeff do I?" Tim said to himself, his resolve weakening as Ben picked up.

"What's up?" Ben asked, his voice light.

"Hey, what's up... Jeff wanted me to tell you something..." Tim told him what happened, once again feeling a weight coming off of his chest as he talked with Ben.

"I will be there in a second! Turn on the TV, please."

"Ok..." Tim found the remote before switching on the tv.

The TV turned to a Legend Of Zelda screen, before a body came through. Ben crawled out, before standing up.

"Sup."

"Oh my god... That was so amazing!!"

"TV. Amazing way to travel. I will teach you some time... Now, what happened again?" Tim told Ben everything and he stopped when Ben looked at him wide eyed.

"What?"

"Holy... Hylia..."

"I know... It sounds crazy and I just think I should just... I don't know anymore..." Tim said, putting his head in his hands.

"You still want to save Jeff? Even after learning about what he did?" Ben asked, before smiling. "That, is friendship. Kudos."

"Jeff... He is just amazing and talented and he is so interesting... He makes me feel just awesome when he is around and I just can't be mad at him for anything.. Like my heart finds a way not to..."

"Wow... Soulmates?" Ben wondered.

"I don't know... I think I... I think I love him..."

"He will enjoy hearing that... And he will survive the forest. He has done it many times before. He is the ONLY one to do it!"

"Zalgo said he was going to help him... I just wish I could find a way to help too!"

"Bend the barrier? That is a major help... For now, let's clean up the place and make dinner. That will make Jeff happy when he gets home."

"What is Jeff's favorite meal?"

"Spaghetti. He likes slurping up the noodles and the pasta sauce looks like blood and he gets it everywhere... He loves spaghetti." Ben says, laughing.

"Then I shall make spaghetti so good, he'll want seconds!"

"Are you kidding? He eats thirds of every meal!"

"Then he'll have fifths..." Tim corrected himself.

"That's a gooood meal!" Ben said, laughing. "We will make garlic bread as well!"

"Of course! You can't have spaghetti without garlic bread!"

"What else shall we cook? Anything else?" Ben asked, wondering. "Any dessert?"

"Of course. Let's see what he has..." Tim went over to the pantry, looking in with Ben.

"Looks like we can make pudding..." Ben murmured.

"Ooh! Look! Chocolate chips! Check to see how much flour we have!"

"He has a full bag." Ben said, poking the bag.

"Perfect!! I can make some delicious cookies!" Tim said, getting out the stuff for cookies. "Would you like to help?"

"Sure. I love sweets." Ben says, smiling.