*YES, MERRY CREEPMAS IS BACK AND READY TO PARTY! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND MAY YOU HAVE THE BEST TIME! I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, EAT GOOD FOOD, RECEIVE THOUGHTFUL PRESENTS AND FOND MEMORIES. THE MOST I CAN DO FOR YOU ALL ON THIS DAY IS GIFT YOU WITH THIS CHAPTER!

Questions!!:
-What is the best part about the holidays? (I like getting presents and giving them too, because I'm a cheesy lil' shit like that.)
-What sort of CreepyPastas or SCPs do you expect or would like to find in this series? (Not getting any ideas, I'm just curious about your opinions!)

Video in the multimedia is Soda Pressing by Sven Van Hees

ALSO, MY PRECIOUS BABY (puppy) KODA HAS ARRIVED AND IF SHE COULD, SHE WOULD WISH YOU ALL A VERY, MERRY... HOLIDAY.(?) THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP AND ADVICE. HERE'S THIS UPDATE TO CONGRATULATE YOU FOR THE LITTLE THINGS YOU DO, TOO. ENJOY THE CHAPTER EVERYONE!!*

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 51

Ao's POV

Sunday morning weather was cool and brisk. My mother and father have gone out for work today, only my mother comes back much earlier. My father will practically have an all-nighter. Lately, his work has been asking a lot more out of his time and energy. Remembering the projects he was working on, I could see why. I can only hope he isn't greatly affected by this and that his work schedule won't compromise my training.

Last Friday, Jack convinced me to do some self-training and exercises on the days he can't work with me. Since I had all of my homework done thanks to Ian, I spent the majority of my Saturday working on the regimen Jack recommended. My parents had been a bit stooped to see me hang out in the backyard all day, sweating buckets. Even when he isn't here, Jack still works me into the ground.

Now, today, I can finally take a break and spend time with Jack that doesn't involve me gaining bruises and feeling weak because he's so god damn fit and skilled. For until my mother comes back from work, Jack and I can hang out like how we used to before we started training. Plus, my glasses will finally arrive later on so I've been feeling pretty happy.

I sat in front of the vanity in my room, braiding my hair with careful fingers. The bruises that I had on my face from Jack's revenge fight were starting to fade into barely yellow splotches. The thought of not having to wear make-up everyday relieved me. As much as it strengthens my features, it's a hassle to fit into my morning routine. I'm also tired of wiping everything off every night.

Once my braids were done, I sat in my seat for a while and stared at myself. My eyes went down to my left shoulder and, with a sigh, I reached up and moved my shirt out of the way. My scar was rosy red and glazed over, every teeth mark visible after all of this time. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the videos Ian showed me had affected me greatly. Ever since that time at the cafe, I've had dreams about that event. This time I saw it all through my own perspective instead of a camera and it was a much more haunting experience. It's strange how your senses can imitate things when you're dreaming, like the scent of blood, singed air and sweat, the sensation of pain rattling me down to the bone, inch through inch. I thought if I was remembering the experience through my own perspective then I would've been able to see the man talking to me. All there had been in front of me the whole time was a wide, mirrored glass where I could see myself gradually fall into a pitiful state. I'm sure it must've been a one-way mirror. Whoever tortured me stayed hidden, protected by a simple piece of stupid glass.

I tried making sense of it all but I only found myself sickened, sad and angry. These past nights Sam has had to calm me down when I awoke panting, flailing, crying in bed. I felt bad for making him sing lullabies and talk to me because I would be too afraid to sleep again. He tells me it's not a problem but it still nags me. I have to be stronger than that. I'm the proxy, so I just have to.

I suddenly felt a tug at my shoulder and watched through the vanity's mirror as my shirt was pulled back up to cover the scar.

Stop it.

I gulped and murmured, "Sorry."

Jack will be here any minute so cheer up some. Besides, today is a day for you to relax. So...relax!

"Right," I said with a soft chuckle. I shouldn't be moping on a day like this. Jack will be spending time with me after all, so why should I be sad?

Behind me, I heard a sharp tap against one of my bedroom windows. Turning around in my seat, I looked back to see a pebble hit my window, creating the sharp tap sound again. I smiled and jumped up from my seat to stride towards my window. Opening it, I poked my head out and gazed down at the blue masked man standing below.

"Good morning," I chimed excitedly.

"Morning," Jack replied.

Chuckling, I said, "Come around back..!" I saw him nod and head for the backyard.

Heart racing, I hurried out of my room, down the stairs and to the backdoor. Upon opening it, Jack was already there. I couldn't help myself as I lunged forward and hugged him. He staggered slightly but wrapped his arms around me anyway. "I'm so happy to have you here," I murmured into his hoodie. I lifted up my head to look up at him when I noticed something. Jack was wearing my scarf again.

"You still have my scarf," I pointed out.

He touched a hand to it and replied, "Yeah. It's pretty soft and warm. I like it."

I smiled and said, "Well, it's warm in the house so you don't have to wear it anymore."

He was quiet for a moment before clutching the scarf and saying, "N-No, I'm good.."

I was slightly taken aback but nonetheless flattered. "C'mon, you big dork," I giggled as I grabbed his hand and led him inside the house. He followed me in without hesitance and I took him through the downstairs hallway. We stopped in front of a closed door, to which I opened to reveal the lounge room. Glancing at Jack as we walked in, I said, "I'm not supposed to be in the lounge since I'm grounded...!"

"Oh, you rebel you," Jack teased flatly. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Go on and have a seat on the couch," I said as I walked over towards the gramophone on the other side of the room. Next to the machine, there was a box of records to choose from. I grabbed a big band record, pulled the vinyl disk out of its cover and gently placed it on the turntable. I turned the crank a few times, then set the soundbox onto the record until it slid into place. Before long, feel-good notes came from the horn, filling the room with wonderful sound.

I turned back around and saw Jack sitting on the couch like I had told him to do. I took a seat next to him and sat cross-legged. Jack took off his gloves as he said, "So, how are you today?"

"I'm fine," I answered.

"Did you do the training regimen like I said?"

"Definitely," I sighed, remembering how exhausted I was afterwards.

"Good. Have you been holding up alright?"

Furrowing my brow, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"You know," he started, "What you told me about on Friday?"

My expression fell slightly as I realized what he meant. As soon as I saw Jack for training on Friday, the first thing I did was tell him about what I had seen in the videos. To say he was upset is an understatement. He was beyond appalled and so enraged that I almost wanted to bail on training because he'd be too riled up. I had managed to calm him down but he was still pissed, as I would expect. This has only given him more reason to train me. I felt the same way.

Jack isn't the only one that knows now. I've sent the videos I got from Ian's laptop to Ben, using my mother's laptop. He hasn't given any feedback about them, surprisingly, and I wonder if he's busy or something else. As time passes by though, I find myself not wanting to get any feedback from him or Jeff and Elizabeth at all. It's becoming something that I shouldn't speak of, that should be left alone since its over and done with. But, I know better to keep something like this back, especially if it involves Jack and the others in the smallest way. They are my friends after all.

Putting my attention back to Jack, I managed a smile and said, "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just relieved to be able to tell someone else, ya know?" I lifted my hands up toward his face and ran my fingers along the edge of his mask. "I hope it doesn't bother you."

"Of course it does," he responded. "But, I'm glad that you're okay. I don't know what I would do if you weren't around anymore."

I smiled and lifted his mask. "Well, I promised I would stay, didn't I?"

"You did," he murmured. I brushed my nose against his and then gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. After I pulled away, I removed his mask completely, allowing me to see the white patches over his eyes again. At times, it still saddened me to look at them, knowing he can't see, but then I think of how he's grown with it, how he doesn't let his disability disable him, how he brought up the courage to even tell me about it and I smile again. Out of proudness, I kissed him at his temple.

"So, what would you like to do today?," I asked him. Jack replied with a shrug. I stifle a chuckle and say, "There must be something you'd want to do. I can read stories to you, we can dance, I can play my violin for you, or we can just talk."

He messed with one of my braids and mumbled, "I haven't heard you talk about your life outside of training..."

I stared at him for a moment, before smiling and saying, "Sit back and relax because this may be a while." And so I told him about how my life was at school and at home when I wasn't training. I told him all that I could and he just sat with me and listened. I forget that he's more of a listener than a talker, and he knows that too.

As I was talking, I had started to randomly play with his hair. Jack just sat there, letting me mess with his ears and twirl some of his auburn locks around my fingers. The mood was gentle and serene, something that I thought he needed and deserved after the recent week.

"How are things at the hideout?," I inquired, brushing my fingers through his hair.

"Quiet," he replied.

"You haven't had any trouble by yourself?"

"I'm fine. I can handle it."

"Positive?"

"Yeah."

"Okay.."

A moment of silence passed between us while the 1940s big band music kept playing in the background.

Then, I added, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ao," he groaned.

"S-Sorry," I laughed nervously.

Jack suddenly sat up after laying against me for so long and murmured, "Hey, I...wanted to ask you something pretty important.."

Intrigued, I leaned forward and said, "Go ahead."

He cleared his throat and started, "The night of our date, I had asked you something at the end. If you would be my girlfriend."

"Right."

He nodded. "I'm happy you agreed to it. But, I need to know...um... H-How do I be a...boyfriend?"

Oh my god.

I wanted to tell Sam to shut up but I knew I shouldn't break my attention away from Jack. I stared at him for a good few seconds before uttering a single "oh".

Jack sighed and grumbled, "I know it sounds stupid--."

"No, no! It's fine!," I stammered, "Uh, I just... I'm not sure how to explain that. It's different for everyone."

"What is it for someone like me?"

My mind went completely blank. "Uh.."

Aw snap.

Disregarding Sam's comment, I quickly tried to figure out what I would say. I have no god damn clue how to explain this to someone like Jack...! It's obvious now that he's never dated before. I've never dated before either but I at least know a few things when it comes to it. But Jack is...well, Jack!

"Uh...," I murmured, becoming more nervous by the second. C'mon Ao, say something to him! You're being rude!

Jack wasn't reacting to my struggle but I knew if I kept this up any longer I could upset him.

Finally, I figured something out and stated, "Being a boyfriend is...well, being you."

"Care to elaborate..?," he remarked.

I twiddled my thumbs and continued, "What I mean is...when it comes to dating, just be yourself. There's no magic behind it, no secret. It isn't rocket science. Especially if the feelings are true. It shouldn't be hard to care about your partner. Sure, there's holding hands, and kissing, and hugging, and all of this other stuff that shows you care about them and that your relationship is real. But, there's always the stuff that isn't physical."

I grabbed Jack's hand and squeezed it gently. "Being a boyfriend is more than just a title, it's something you feel deep down in your heart. You will feel happy when you're around your partner and you'll get excited just thinking about them. You'll become willing to fight for them and make sure they're happy too. You'll say hello with a big smile and say good-bye feeling a little bit sad. You want to do anything and everything for them and with them. Sure, you may argue at times, but you still love them, and you're willing to forgive their past mistakes that they still let get to them."

I looked up at Jack and gave a sigh of content. "Being a boyfriend is being honest, being chivalrous, being brave, being you. Being you is the best kind of boyfriend. You is a one of a kind boyfriend. And, I wouldn't ask for it any other way."

It was quiet between us. In the background, a romantic track was echoing softly from the gramophone horn. Chuckling nervously again, I said, "S-Sorry. I rambled a little. I didn't mean to go on like that, I was just--." Jack suddenly pressed his lips against mine with soft intention. My mind lost track of anything I was saying before and my heart was sent fluttering. I could feel my face warm up while my fingers and toes tingled with delight. My grip on Jack's hand tightened just as he did the same. I had closed my eyes, enjoying this blissful moment. I felt the urge to wrap my arms around his neck and press myself into him more but Jack pulled away before I could carry the thought out into action.

Still leaning very close to me, he whispered, "I like when you ramble."

My heart skipped a beat and I felt more blush on my cheeks. "O-Okay," I murmured breathlessly. Inside, I was screaming excitedly.

"Do you smile when you say hello?," Jack asked me.

"Of course I do," I answered. "Do you?"

He paused for a few seconds. "I'm not sure if I can."

I released a soft snort and replied, "That's ridiculous..! I'm sure you can."

"Well, yes, physically I am able to, but... I just don't."

Letting my smile drop, I asked, "Why?"

He shook his head. "I've never had a real reason to do so."

"There's plenty of reasons for you to smile," I proclaimed, "You can smile at a funny joke, you can smile when you're listening to feel good music, you can smile just to smile!"

"Those are reasons why you would smile.."

Huffing, I said, "I can choose not to smile at a joke!"

"You smile and burst into laughter whenever someone says 'bumfuzzle'."

Right then and there I started laughing. "Haha, bum," I snickered. Realizing I proved him right, I abruptly stopped myself, cleared my throat and muttered, "You can't do that to me."

Jack shook his head at me and I added, "Fine! You know what else could make you smile?"

"What?"

A playful smirk met my lips and I said, "This...!" I jumped up next to him and started wiggling my fingers against his neck. He just sat there with complete stillness. Eventually he muttered, "What are you doing?"

Frowning, I retorted, "I'm tickling you. Does that not...tickle?" He shook his head.

I gaped at him and said, "H-How does that not tickle? That's one of the most sensitive spots!"

"I'm just not ticklish," he declared.

"Th-That's impossible. There's no way you don't have a tickle spot. You have to!" I argued.

"Try me," he challenged me.

"Fine, I will!" I exclaimed, before beginning to tickle Jack. I tried his neck again, under his arms, his legs, his stomach, I even took off one of his shoes to get to his foot. Everything I did never worked to even crack a smile on his lips. By the time I was finished, I was the one left breathless and stumped. "You've got to be kidding me..," I murmured.

"Told you."

Well, damn.

Damn, indeed.

Sighing, I slumped back into the couch and grumbled, "Geez, you're no fun when it comes to tickles." I poked him in his ribcage just out of boredom but he flinched and yelped slightly. Wide eyed, I said, "What was that?"

"N-Nothing, " he groaned.

Excitement building up again, I chimed, "No, that was a tickle spot!"

"Ao, please don't--." But it was too late! I lunged at him and started tickling his ribs wildly. Jack squirmed in his seat, and when he fell over, I got on top of him, trapping him against the couch cushions. He continued to wiggle about, groaning and trying to pry my hands away from his torso. I watched his face as his lips twisted into grimaces and his brow furrowed.

Just when I was about to stop since I thought I was only pissing him off, the slightest bit of a smile finally showed up but he still fought it. I tickled harder until he gave me a huge grin that allowed dimples to show up on his cheeks. I was amazed to see that he even had dimples at all. He let a chuckle slip past his lips and then it suddenly became a full-blown laugh. It was a slight wheeze at first until it shifted into a boisterous cackle. Jack kept babbling for me to stop but I couldn't bring myself to. His laughter was loud, genuine, amusing, almost carefree, and sweet. I was instantly in love with his laugh and I wanted to hear more of it. His smile was perfect too and I couldn't understand why he wouldn't do it more. It wasn't long before I started laughing too, reveling in his utterly contagious laugh.

Eventually, I stopped tickling Jack and the both of us calmed down together. Jack laid on the couch, panting, with a hand on hi stomach. He managed to stammer out, "D-Don't tell the others ab..out this.."

I chuckled and brushed his hair away from his forehead. I stared down at him for a few moments, marveling his features once again. With joy gushing in my chest, I leaned down and kissed his cheek, right where a dimple would be. "You're adorable," I whispered, "which is why I--."

There was suddenly a bone-chilling screech that echoed far off. A shiver ran up my spine and I found myself clutching Jack's hoodie tightly. I barely noticed how Jack grabbed onto me protectively over the panic I was feeling.

It came from outside.

Gulping nervously, I murmured, "Please don't let it be what I think it is.."

"I'm checking it out," Jack stated firmly, lifting me off of him and down onto the couch. I gawked at him as he started walking away and I exclaimed, "I'm coming with..!"

"No, just stay inside."

"It's my house..! If anything happens to it, my parents will kill me," I stammered. Before Jack could protest any further, I bolted up from my seat and sprinted past him. I ran out into the hallway and made it to the living room. There was another screech that had me gritting my teeth.

In the backyard.

Without a moment to lose, I ran to the backdoor and grabbed onto the doorknob. As soon as I was about to open it to peek outside, Jack suddenly came up from behind me and grabbed my hand. "Wait," he said. He put a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet. A few seconds passed and another screech erupted from beyond the backdoor. Jack frowned and murmured, "That sounds familiar..."

"Corrupted?" Please say no.

"No," --thank god--, "but you still need to be careful. Let me go outside first."

"Jack--."

He grabbed my shoulders and gently set me aside to go outside anyway. After he stepped out into the open, I followed behind him. At first, I poked my head out to take a look at everything. I found myself surprised at what I saw. It wasn't a Corrupted, like Jack said, but it was a very familiar monster.

Seedeater, as I recalled, lay on top of the electric fence getting shocked as the fence does to anything that touches it. It screeched and roared in pain and anger. I could see that its leg was caught on the wires, leaving it trapped. Not knowing what to do, it struggled furiously, possibly tangling itself and harming itself further.

Just as I fully stepped out into the open with Jack, Seedeater suddenly snapped at the wires with its strange mouth. It set itself free and fell over into the backyard in a heap, a few wires still wrapped around its leg. I watched it struggle to get up for a bit and I could see it wouldn't set its left-back leg down on the ground. Injured. I stepped forward a little more, concern racing in my mind.

Be careful, Ao.

"Okay...," I mumbled, still walking towards it. Seedeater stood a little straighter, as tall and large as I remembered. It must have not realized that I was so close since it growled and pounded its front paws into the ground out of surprise. I reeled back and I felt arms envelope me from behind. Jack was there with a scowl on his face, holding me close to him.

Seedeater tilted its head to the side, then straightened and growled. It shoved itself closer, a deep grumble resounding within its throat. When it stepped even closer, Jack pushed me behind him. This seemed to anger the large monster and it attempted to slip around the side. Jack blocked the way. Seedeater tried the other side but was blocked again. It huffed and pounded the ground again. Seedeater screeched in Jack's face but, to my surprise, he growled back in an equally animalistic manner.

I was utterly confused as to what was unfolding in front of me. Why is Seedeater here in the first place? It isn't here to kill me, is it? How did it find me?

My thoughts were cut short as I witnessed Seedeater suddenly smack a paw into Jack. Jack recovered from the hit quickly and lunged forward. There was a quick glint of something metallic and Seedeater flinched away. On its arm there was a line of fresh blood. In Jack's hand was a knife. I stared wide eyed at him. Where did he get the knife?! That's when I noticed that it wasn't a hunting knife or dagger. He wielded a regular, plain old kitchen knife. That idiot must've grabbed it from the kitchen before he met me at the backdoor.

Jack growled at Seedeater again and stood in his place, arms raised, legs parted: his usual fighting stance. The large beast roared and tried smacking Jack again but this time Jack was ready. He stabbed into the paw and lifted it above his head. Because of its need to balance, Seedeater refrained from using the other paw and instead pushed its head towards Jack, mask-face splitting open to reveal the strange mouth again. Without a second to lose, Jack gave a hard kick against Seedeater's face, sending the creature whining. Jack pushed the paw he was holding away, threw the knife down and grabbed onto Seedeater's neck. The black fur covered Jack's hands but I knew he was doing something to cause the large, burly monster to choke and start clawing at the ground, panicked. Before I knew it, Seedeater fell over onto its side whilst Jack still held onto its throat. As the strange creature laid on the ground, whining, Jack placed one knee on its chest, leaned over and began...growling in its face.

Seedeater would whine back but Jack would growl louder and louder every time. After a while, Seedeater's whining and grumbling quieted down. Jack huffed and let go of the creature's neck. Just as Seedeater was about to get up, Jack hissed and roughly grabbed onto its snout. There was tension as the both of them had gone completely quiet, breathing hard. Not even the sound of wind came to fill the silence. I wondered how long it would last until Jack ordered loud and harsh, "Get up," and suddenly let go of Seedeater. It didn't hesitate to stand up again and it backed a few feet away from Jack.

Dumbfounded, I walked up to Jack and tugged on his sleeve. "Are you okay?," I asked, worriedly.

"I'm fine," he answered. He turned his head toward me and I inquired, "What did you do..?"

"What does it look like?," he replied, "I subdued it."

"But, why?"

Jack shrugged. "Why else? To assert dominance."

What?

I blinked. "You...what?" I turned my gaze over towards Seedeater, who paced around anxiously. I took this chance to finally get near the big creature once again. It stopped pacing once it spotted me walking towards it and reeled away slightly. Upon laying a hand on its body, it flinched. In a soft voice, I said, "It's okay. Stay calm." Seedeater huffed and eased its body after a few moments. I smiled and ran a hand along the rough surface of its face. A long, pink tongue suddenly slithered out from the hole at the bottom and wiggled against my hand. At first it felt really, really gross but then it started to tickle, causing me to giggle like a child.

I stole a glance down at its newly injured paw and pouted. "Jack, you're so cruel," I stated.

"Wh...What..?," I heard him murmur behind me.

"You didn't have to hurt him," I said.

"It's a he?"

"Yes, he is," I retorted.

"You can't be serious," he grumbled, "You can't treat that thing--."

"Him."

Jack faltered. "Him..," he continued, "so kindly. You don't know his intentions."

"He seems pretty cool to me," I responded. Just as I spoke, Seedeater licked his tongue against my face and I laughed.

"Ao, you still need to be careful," Jack muttered, "He's not some dog you can tame. He's something else completely, and he's wild."

"Monsters can be tamed," I stated confidently.

Some of the time.

"They can be tamed," I hissed through my teeth toward Sam.

"You're not really considering that idea, are you?," Jack said.

"Why not? It worked with you, didn't it?"

Sam burst into laughter inside of my head while Jack frowned at me.

Chuckling, I said, "Come here."

With a groan, Jack trudged over. As soon as he stood beside me, Seedeater reeled away behind me and whimpered. I shushed him and held onto his snout tightly, trying to keep him close. Afterwards, I grabbed Jack's hand and carefully placed it against Seedeater's face. The big creature protested at first but slowly calmed down.

Speaking to Seedeater, I chimed, "See? Jack's not so scary."

"I'm not scary...," he muttered. I gave him a 'really' look but didn't say anything more about his comment.

"He's fine, Jack," I told him.

"For now," he replied.

"Well," I beamed, "whatever happens, we'll handle it together."

Jack was silent for a few moments. "Yeah," he finally murmured, "together.."

I smiled up at him as joy and confidence filled me. Turning my attention back to Seedeater's injured paws, I announced, "Now, why don't we fix this big guy's wounds before my mother comes back."

"I can't believe you're doing this," Jack said.

As I hurried off back inside to get some supplies, I called over my shoulder, "You're the one that wanted to be my boyfriend..!" I barely heard his tired groan before the backdoor closed behind me.

...

Jeff's POV

"Okay, turn it on," I hollered at Ben, who sat in the driver's seat of the Chevelle. He followed my order and turned the engine on. It roared and purred perfectly. Just to be sure the car was in good shape, I took a walk around it to check out its exterior. There were no dents, no more bullet holes or anything. With a relieved sigh, I gave a thumbs-up to Ben. I saw the smile on his face and he yelled from the door, "Let's get going already!"

I nodded and turned towards Elizabeth, who sat down on the curb. She had waited for us to do some finishing touches on the Chevelle. All weekend we all spent our time and energy on fixing up the car after the events of Thursday, what with a Mafia crime lord chasing us and Elizabeth going berserk. Also, we all couldn't forget about the whole me dying and coming back part.

"C'mon," I told Elizabeth. She seemed just as relieved as I was to finally walk to the car and take her place in the backseat. I made my way to the passenger door and opened it eagerly. I had never been more happy to sit in the passenger seat. We would finally leave the inn and get on with our trip. Because of our delay, we'll be out here longer. I was just happy to get on with it.

"I'll try to drive faster but we'll still be behind," Ben said

"We're close," Elizabeth suddenly claimed.

Ben and I turned around and spoke in unison, "What?"

Elizabeth nodded. "We're closer to our destination than I thought. It's probably another six hours away if we don't take any stops."

Ben and I looked at each other and he knew that I knew that we knew that we'd finally finish this mission once and for all. Elizabeth would get a new arm, I'd get my answers and then we could go home to see Jack and Ao again. (Ben has been too busy with the car to check in on them so we have no idea how they're doing.)

Without a moment to lose, Ben shifted the Chevelle into drive and drove away from the inn. After working on the car all weekend, I was happy to relax into my seat and watch the scenery pass us by through the window. Looking back at Elizabeth, I saw her reading her book again. She was halfway through it already. It seemed like only yesterday she just got it. I'm glad to see she still has a little bit of book nerd in her.

I turned my head towards the window and sighed. Only six hours left to go, huh? It almost seems too good to be true. With our luck, Corrupted may suddenly show up to ruin our day or maybe more Mafia men will show up to put bullets through our skulls. I joke but I would honestly love nothing more than for all of that to not happen. We came too far to have our hard work screwed up. But, that's how it always is before things go to shit. At least for us.

...

I ended up crashing out in the passenger seat after an hour had passed. When I awoke, I found my bandana over my face and ourselves stopped at a gas station. Careful not to let my face show too much, I pulled the bandana away and turned to look at the backseat. Elizabeth was still reading her book while she snacked on some chips.

"H-Hey," I murmured sleepily, "where are we?"

She glanced up at me and teased, "Well, look who's finally awake. Had a restful four hours of sleep?"

I gaped at her. "Four hours?," I repeated. She nodded and set her eyes back down towards the book. She turned a page before answering my previous question with, "We passed the Iowa state line three hours ago."

I nodded slowly and leaned back into my seat. The car cabin was quiet, save for the noise outside of people filling up their vehicles, slamming car doors and the arguing of a young couple.

Suddenly, Elizabeth spoke up and murmured, "Jeff, about what happened on Thursday..."

I turned around to face her and I was surprised to see the steely, concerned gaze in her eyes. "Are you okay?," she added.

Instinctively, I raised my hand up to my throat and nodded in response.

She pursed her lips during her pause. "Just asking. You were...muttering in your sleep," she affirmed.

Intrigued, I asked, "What did I say?"

She closed her book slightly, keeping one finger on her page, and said, "I don't know. I didn't get to hear much since Ben turned up the radio a few minutes after."

"Of course," I muttered.

"I think he did it with good intention," she replied, "to keep us from listening to you."

Frowning, I asked again, "What did I say?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "Something about not taking someone? You said a bunch of stuff like 'leave her alone', 'stop', 'don't do this to me', 'we're all she has left', 'don't take her', 'don't leave me'. You sounded like a drunk the entire time but the context of your words seemed panicked."

I frowned down at my seat, trying to remember what I dreamt of but my mind was completely devoid. Shaking my head, I responded, "I can't remember.."

Elizabeth stayed quiet for a while. The young couple was still arguing outside in the other stall. Just as soon as Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak again, Ben opened the driver's door and hopped inside. "Well, look who's awake," he chimed in a chipper tone. He tossed me a bottle of water, to which I caught, and gave one to Elizabeth as well. The blonde man grabbed his sunglasses from his jacket pocket and slipped them on his face. "Just an hour left," he declared, before turning on the Chevelle and driving out of the stall.

Those few words hung on me for longer than they should have. Just an hour. Soon we'll make it to our destination and I'll meet Elizabeth's caretakers. My stomach felt queasy all of a sudden and for a moment I wanted to tell Ben to stop the car.

I was nervous for two reasons. One: This all seems too good to be true and somehow, someway within the next hour things might go to shit. Two: I'm going to meet the people who took Elizabeth away from me two years ago, who had taken away the most important person in my life, who left me to mourn and berate myself for not having been strong enough, the people who made my suffering so much worse. Without any warning, a terrible idea came to mind that almost set me over the edge. What if we go and her caretakers want to have her back? What if they want her to stay or they send her off to someplace else to be Scapegrace again? What if they make her distrust us? I would lose myself completely if they did anything close.

Growing extremely anxious, I opened my water bottle and took steady gulps. Drinking helped me some but it didn't dispel my anxiety. I don't even get this nervous when I'm about to tangle with Corrupted. Stealing a glance at Elizabeth, I saw that her expression was calm and collected. Next, I looked at Ben briefly and saw that he was just about the same. Turning back towards my window, I sighed and clutched my water bottle. It's only an hour but I have a feeling it'll be the longest hour I'll ever endure.

...

Trees swept past my vision as the Chevelle drove down a secluded road. On either side was a sea of tall forest trees. The grass and the leaves were starting to dull as the cold was setting in slowly. It was quite calming to stare at everything, actually. I was tired of the sun being in my face. Little beams of light would manage to seep their way through the bodies of trees but I was still fairly shaded.

I turned my head to check on Elizabeth. She lay across the backseat, napping while her hand lay in between pages of her book. I smiled and turned back around. The car was filled with the soft music coming from the radio. Ben tapped his fingers on the steering wheel along with the rhythm but was otherwise quiet.

"Nervous?," he suddenly asked. I looked at him and nodded reluctantly. He managed a small smile and said, "I'm sure things will be fine. If not then we still know how to kick human ass, right?"

A chuckle slipped past my lips and I answered, "Yeah, we do."

"Maybe they're not human, though," Ben went on, "What if Elizabeth's caretakers were, like, vampires or demons? Or ghosts? Or Cthulu monsters? Oh my god, what about snake people?"

"Ben, stop."

"Why? Am I scaring you?"

"No, you just sound fuckin' stupid," I deadpanned.

He huffed melodramatically and murmured, "Well, excuse me for having an imagination." I chuckled and shook my head at him.

A sudden gasp came from him and my first instinct was to reach for one of my knives. Then, he awed, "Hey, I think we made it..!"

My body froze and my mind went slack. I looked over at where Ben's gaze was set and spotted a lonely, little house past the trees. I gulped hard and barely registered Ben's words telling me to wake Elizabeth up. When I finally came to my senses, I reached over my seat and tapped her leg a bunch. She woke up with a dazed expression. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What's going on--?" She didn't finish her question. Her eyes looked out the window and they went wide. To my surprise, a huge smile lit up her face and she jumped closer to the right rear door. Hand pressed against the window, she announced excitedly, "This is it! This is the place! We made it! We actually made it!" This is the happiest I've seen her thus far.

Ben rejoiced with her but I stayed silent, watching the house get closer and closer. I tried not to frown but it was hard not to feel antsy. We finally pulled up in front of the house and Ben turned off the Chevelle. Not hearing it run anymore had my stomach twisting more. Immediately, Elizabeth opened the car door and hopped out. She didn't even bother to close the door completely as she just raced towards the house. Soon, she was banging on the front door, ringing the doorbell eagerly and everything.

"Damn, these people seem pretty important to her," Ben remarked. Just as soon as he opened the door and slammed it shut, I muttered, "That's what scares me."

I finally got the guts to open my door and step out into the cool air. I closed both my door and Elizabeth's before meeting up with her and Ben. As I walked, I surveyed our surroundings. Nothing but trees, trees and more trees around the lonely house. It looked in good shape for being the only shelter around here. To the left of the house were a patch of tree stumps long taken over by more plant life. There was something else to the right, just at the side of the house but I didn't get the time to look at it.

As soon as I got within four feet of the front door, it opened to reveal a woman. She had long, wavy brown hair that must've reached to her shoulder blades. She wore a white tank top despite the cold and black pants. Looking at her face, my breath hitched. Stitches lined both of her cheeks from the corners of her mouth. That's not what startled me though, I've seen much worse. It was her eyes. Her right eye was an unnatural bright green while the other was nothing but a clock. A sudden flashback of the night that Elizabeth had been stolen came back to me without warning. It had only been a brief glimpse but I could recognize that clock anywhere.

"Clock!," Elizabeth exclaimed happily.

The woman stared at Elizabeth for a moment before breaking into a huge smile and wrapping her in a hug. "Ellie!," the woman cried. The both of them laughed together while Ben and I stood around in awkward silence. I felt my mouth twitch. She called her Ellie...

"Christ, where have you been?," the woman asked Elizabeth. Her gaze went down to her broken metal arm and she hissed, "What happened to your arm..?!"

Elizabeth waved her working hand in the air and said, "It's a long story. I need it fixed though. We came all this way from Virginia."

"We?" The woman looked up at Ben and I and reeled back. "Oh, I didn't see you two there," she said. Ben waved and flashed her a smile while I stayed quiet.

Elizabeth walked towards us and pointed. "Clock, this is Jeff and the blondie is Ben."

"Yo," Ben greeted.

The woman nodded and said, "Nice to meet you two. My name's Clockwork. Thanks for bringing Ellie here!"

Elizabeth looked around for a bit with a confused expression on her face. "Hey, Clock," she started, "where's--?"

"Clocky, where'd you go?!" Another voice spilled out from the open front door. We all looked over to see a figure show up at the doorstep.

My heart plummeted into the ground instantly. 

Things clicked into place. The tree stumps, the house, the forest, Iowa and the object to the right that I didn't get to see. I had finally stolen a glance at it a few moments ago and I didn't want to believe the truth.

To the right of the house had been a wooden cross.

The man standing at the door had the same tussled chestnut brown hair, pale complexion, brown eyes and wide smile that I remembered. No, it couldn't be him. It just couldn't. But, when he looked straight at me, I knew it was true. It was that same bright eyed, joyful look he always sported.

"Jeff?!" Toby exclaimed.

Clockwork, Elizabeth and Ben glanced at the two of us, equally surprised.

Toby took a step off the door step and said, "Oh my god, it's you! You're okay, you're alive. Y-You got a haircut?! Oh my god!"

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't process anything. The only thing I could manage was to slowly walk toward him.

The next thing I could only manage in that moment was sucker-punching him square across the face.