*HEY GUYS! I'M SO, SO, SO SORRY FOR THE EXTREMELY LONG DELAY. I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THAT TOOK TIME AWAY FROM MY WRITING. I'M NOT GOING TO BOTHER WITH QUESTIONS SO JUST GO AHEAD AND GET INTO THE CHAPTER. (I kinda feel like this one is not as good as I wanted it, but I hope you all enjoy it either way).*

HAPPY READING!

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 56

Jeff's POV

I was sitting in the living room, busying myself with the Rubik's cube that Ben has given me. So far I've managed to get three sides full! At least until I mess them up again. It's weird how a damn cube can make me want to rip my brains out yet keep me motivated to solve it at the same time. It's a friggin' multicolored cube, I'm not gonna let it get the best of me! This thing is going to be my end.

"F me in the ass," I growled in frustration as I had messed up another fully completed side.

"Someone getting frisky?," someone said behind me. I turned around and saw Clockwork. "N-No, it's just the cube," I stammered in protest.

"Gotcha," she taunted me. I mentally face-palmed myself.

"Have you seen Ellie?," she asked me.

As I turned my gaze back to the hell-born puzzle, I said, "Last I saw, she was outside with Toby."

Clockwork groaned and muttered, "She shouldn't be outside while she's in recovery. Toby knows that."

"Maybe she just wants to get out," I remarked. "There's not much here to do, especially since she's been roaming to other places and seeing other things."

Clockwork sighed. I look up at her for a moment and say, "She likes books. Big ones, too. You couldn't pry those things from her even if you tried."

She crossed her arms and stared off at the far wall. "Ellie never got to read much," she said, "she spent most of the first year here recovering. Then after that, she trained. Then after that, we set her off." Clockwork was in thought for a few seconds, before huffing and stating, "I'll make sure Toby gets her more books when he goes into town again." The brunette then continued to walk towards the front door, hollering Ellie's name as soon as she opened it.

Ellie came in as soon as she was called and had snow flaking her hair. Clockwork brushed the white specs away as she said, "Have you eaten anything yet?"

"No."

"You need to eat," the brunette stated firmly. "I'll make you something." After that, she left for the kitchen.

Ellie looked at me and asked, "Having fun?"

I shifted my gaze from her to the Rubik's cube, then back. "If you call the ever-present desire to destroy the world fun, then yes."

She managed a chuckle and started taking off her jacket. "I don't understand why you're still trying to solve that thing, if it annoys you so much--." She froze. I stared at her in question. Ellie scrunched up her nose and kept fidgeting in place. Her jacket was almost off but she wouldn't move her right arm. "Oh no," she grumbled.

"What?," I murmured.

She sighed and dropped her other arm to her side while her mechanical one hung in the air. "My arm locked up."

"Oh," was all I could utter. This is the second time it's locked up. Toby and Clockwork have mentioned some of the problems that the arm will have. These include trouble operating on command (a limp arm); locking up for minutes or possibly hours, trouble applying correct pressure when grabbing objects (she's already broken the bathroom doorknob for grabbing it too hard) and--the most dangerous fault--having random spasms that could lead to Ellie breaking something or hitting someone by accident. No one really knows how to handle the spasms but so far Toby is always there to take whatever blow it dishes out. He can't feel pain so it doesn't bother him when he gets smacked in the face or gut. Still feel sorry for the poor guy.

I stood up from my spot on the couch and walked towards her. "Do you need me to help?," I ask.

"Try to push it down," she says. I do as she says and attempt to push her arm down without hurting her. At first, I don't put too much pressure. That was until nothing would happen and I resorted to pulling down on her arm. She only stared at me as I struggled. It came to the point where I was kneeling down so my weight could help pull it. Ellie only leaned with me while the arm was stuck. When my grip slipped, I fell over and she stood straight again. The mechanical arm was still locked.

Ellie sighed and said, "I'll just wait for it to release. Thanks, anyway."

"Y-Yeah," I panted as I stood to my feet.

Clockwork returned from the kitchen and was taken aback by Ellie sticking her arm up in the air. She pursed her lips and said, "I don't suppose you can use a fork with your left hand?"

Ellie grumbled under her breath as she stared irritably at her arm. She tried pulling it down herself but the sounds of erratic clicking startled her. Suddenly, the arm jolted forward, nearly smacking me in the face but I had dodged it in time. Clockwork sprinted forward and we desperately latched onto Ellie's arm as it clicked and hummed. I could tell Ellie was trying to control the arm by the strained expression on her face. Clockwork and I just kept our grips tight. Eventually, the arm stopped resisting us and Ellie was finally allowed to drop it to her side. Clockwork and I panted but we were relieved.

"Hurry and eat before you go throwing your fork into someone's face," Clockwork told her. Ellie nodded, looking flustered.

When she disappeared behind the kitchen entry way, Clockwork turned to me and asked, "Are you cool? You almost got your head punched off back there."

"I'm fine," I answered her.

She nodded. "Good. I don't want anybody dying in the house."

"Thanks for the concern," I mumbled hesitantly.

"Yeah, well, you're important to Ellie," she added flatly, "so, I guess I should try to keep your body parts intact." She then swiftly turned around and walked into the kitchen. I stood in my spot for a few seconds and sighed. It's barely dawning on me now but I see where Ellie got her rough and cold personality from...

Leaving the dreaded Rubik's cube on the coffee table, I headed outside to check in on Toby. He was out in the front, shoveling snow out of the walkway and where the Chevelle was parked. He must've spotted me out of the corner of his eye because he looked at me before I could call for his attention.

"I don't suppose you came out to help me," he remarked.

Suddenly feeling a bit guilty, I said, "No... Did you need any?"

"Nah," he replied anyway and I rolled my eyes.

Staring at the Chevelle, I asked, "Have you seen Ben at all yet?"

Toby looked up from the snow and thought. "Umm, n-no, I don't think so. What is he doing?"

I waved my hand in the air and huffed a steam cloud. "I don't know. He said something about getting a 'wicked' idea and making something new. I haven't got a clue as to what it is."

"Does it have s-something to do with s-strip clubs?," Toby asked, naively. "He talks about those a lot."

"He talks about a lot of shit," I said.

Toby smiled and shoveled up another pile of snow. He abruptly stopped, stuck the shovel in the snow and looked at me with sad eyes. "Jeff, I-I know you said sorry doesn't matter a-after what I did, but I'm really sorry. I feel awful and I know I s-should. I wanted you to know, I r-really did, but the Doctor said no. A-And, it's not like I could leave and f-find you, I mean, I don't know where you live. I don't even know if you have a place to live. I-I don't have a car either--."

"Toby, stop," I interrupted him and he shut his mouth. I glowered down at him and I could sense his vibe shift to discomfort. "Toby," I started quietly, "you're a lil' shit."

His eyes were big and he looked like he just got punched in the chest, if he were able to feel that. Before I could completely shatter his heart into a million pieces, I added, "But, you kept Ellie safe and alive. Despite that I wish she hadn't been taken from me, I'm glad she was with you and Clockwork instead of being with someone else. To be honest, if you had told me, I don't think I would have taken it well."

"Y-You didn't take it well either way, you p-punched me in the face," he murmured.

"Anyway," I disregarded his comment, "what I'm saying is that it would've been hard for me to help or stay out of the way while Ellie was recovering. I would've been a burden. She's okay now and that's all that matters. So...thanks, I guess. For being there for her."

Toby nodded and smiled. I cleared my throat and said, "You're still a lil' shit."

"W-Well, at least you don't hate me, right?," he chuckled innocently. I stared at him. His smile slowly dropped and he mumbled again, "R-Right?"

Just to screw with him, I walked away without a word. I heard him stutter behind me and plead, "J-Jeff? Buddy? C-C'mon, don't leave me hanging. Jeff..?!"

"I didn't say I hate you."

"But you didn't say you like me either," he exclaimed.

"What do you think?," I said, flashing him a taunting glance.

"Jeff..!," he whined.

I left him outside, carrying his shovel and complaining while I headed back inside the house to get away from the cold.

...

Later on, I hung out in my room, still trying to solve the Rubik's cube since it was about the only thing I could do without accidentally pissing someone off. I seem to be only pissing myself off, though.

There was knocking at my door and I looked up from the cube. At first, I thought it was Ben finally coming back, but then I realized that Ben usually doesn't knock. He just appears in the room or barges in without any given warning. "Come in," I said.

To my surprise, Ellie opened the door and walked in. I sat up straight in bed so I wouldn't look like a lazy-ass in front of her (even though I am). "What's up?," I said.

"Has Ben come back at all yet?," she asked.

I sighed and shrugged. "Nope. He hasn't been back in a while. It's starting to worry me, and it's not like I can find him."

"Any news on Ao?"

"Not since the last," I replied. I looked to her side, at her metal appendage and asked, "How's the arm?"

Ellie looked down and answered, "It's okay right now. I'm not allowed to do much though. Can't go outside or take town trips with Toby, like I used to."

"Condemned once again, I see," I commented with a snarky tone.

She gave me a look and rolled her mismatched eyes. "At least I have a better bed here," she lightly insulted me.

"I never said I was made of money."

"And, apparently you're not made of the common sense to pick a softer, less lumpy mattress," she quipped.

"It was on special clearance," I remarked. She stifled a wry laugh and so did I. "Nah," I continued, "I don't blame you for wanting to come back. This place is cozy, much more than the hideout." I looked around the room with a feeling of nostalgia in my chest. "A lot of interesting stuff happened here..."

"You've been here before?," Ellie questioned.

"Of course I have," I replied, "not as long as you have, but the memories I made here were pretty, well, memorable."

"Like what?"

Staring at her for a few moments, I noticed the sparkle of curiosity in her eyes. Then, I regarded the fact that she may not even remember the time she spent here two years ago. I cleared my throat and said, "Well, we had a huge fight in the kitchen and living room one time. Uh, we 'ice skated' near the town Redwood, had a nice time. I traumatized kids with sex."

Her eyes went wide and she backed up a little. "S-Sorry," I stammered, "wrong phrasing. I just told them that their parents have sex to make them to gross them out and, ya know, they used to be--."

"I don't need anymore of an explanation," she interjected with her hand raised.

I stifled a wry laugh and continued, "Well, it was nice here. But...that went down hill quickly..." My hands clenched the fabric of my pants and I grit my teeth. "We lost someone really important to us."

"We?"

I nodded. "You, Toby and I. It was especially hard for Toby."

"You mean, Maribel's death," Ellie guessed, "my grandmother."

The way she said it sounded so detached, so empty of the care she used to have for Maribel. It's hard to think that anyone could ever forget a woman like her, yet a shining example stands before me, the same example who sleeps in that old woman's bedroom. Ellie can't be blamed, though. I'm not sure who can be.

"Do you recall how she died?," I asked curiously.

Ellie shook her head and I sighed. You shot your own grandma to save her life from damnation, I thought, but then I realized how relieved I was to know that Ellie couldn't remember what she had done, what she had to do. The day she broke apart because of what she did had started to break me then. For now, all she knows is that Maribel is gone and that was a horrific loss.

"Maribel was a kickass granny. She could fire a shotgun like a pro and always sprayed me with water," was all I told Ellie and that seemed to be enough to put a smile on her face.

Ellie cleared her throat and rubbed her shoulder. "Funny how you hold more sentiment to this place than I do," she stated quietly.

I thought for a moment. "Being alone for so long," I started, "you learn to think back and realize how appreciative you should have been to the people you've met, the places you've been to and the things you've experienced... There's a lot of things that I should've said, things that I should've done, but never did..." I shrug. "I don't know. I get too existential when I'm bored."

"You're bored with me?," she inquired, almost offended.

"Of course not," I countered, "I could never be. Shit, I don't think you'd let me be bored, with so much stuff going on with you." Realizing what I said, I shook my head and muttered, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that..."

"It's fine," she said, "I know I'm complicated, even if I don't know a lot. You're complicated, too."

"What's so complicated about me? I just sit around all day playing with a cube," I jested and she rolled her eyes once again.

"I'm calling it a night," she said, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," I murmured before she walked out and closed the door. I stared at it for a while, listening to her footsteps fade away until she opened her bedroom door and it clicked closed. With a heavy sigh, I set the still uncompleted Rubik's cube on the nightstand beside the bed, got up to turn off the lights and then laid down again. After a while, I zoned out as I stared at the ceiling, until my blank mind took me into a sleep without dreams.

...

I was awoken by the sound of thunder booming outside. Looking up at the bedroom window with slightly blurry vision, I saw rain beating down on the glass. An instance of lightning illuminated the room until everything went dark again. I groan tiredly and fall back into my pillow. I didn't think it could rain during snow weather. There's definitely gonna be a crap ton of ice everywhere once the storm lets up.

Over the low rumbling of thunder in the distance, I heard a knock at my door. I sighed and grumbled as loud as my voice would let me, "It's late, let me sleep."

Whoever it was didn't care for my statement and opened the door anyway. I groaned and sat up in bed, feeling annoyed as all hell. I was so tired and irritated that I hadn't given thought to whoever it could be. Either way, I went off. "Christ, did you not hear me? I said let me sleep. Are you deaf? God damn.." I immediately regretted my words when lightning lit up the room, allowing me to see Ellie standing at the doorway.

"Well, screw you too then," she growled and reached for the doorknob.

"Wait," I called out, feeling a lot more awake than before. She stopped and even through the dark I could tell she was scowling hard. I continued with a raspy voice, "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you."

"So, you'd be okay with yelling at the others?," she muttered.

Running a hand through my hair, I said, "I just woke up, okay? W-Why are you up?"

Ellie was silent and, for a moment, I thought she probably left. But, I heard her voice speak to me quietly, "I wanted to ask you for something, but it's stupid. I'll just leave you alone."

"Whatever it is, I'll listen," I said, "no matter how stupid you think it is or how cranky I am."

I heard her release a long, heavy sigh before saying, "I had a nightmare and now I'm too rattled to sleep. The rainstorm isn't helping much, either. I thought I could come to you since I remember you telling me that you used to have nightmares, too. Maybe if I told you, I wouldn't feel so silly."

Shifting in my spot, I replied, "No, it's fine. What did you dream about?"

"I can't remember," she answered, "but it got my heart racing for a good minute or two."

A pause of silence reigned over the room for a few seconds. Clearing my throat so my voice wouldn't be raspy anymore, I asked, "So, what is it that you're asking of me?"

Ellie hummed frustratingly and murmured so quietly that I could barely hear, "I wanted to ask if you could..." She was too quiet.

"What?"

"Can you keep me company?," she asked a little louder. I was quiet for a bit. She sighed and said, "Just until my nerves go away, or something."

"Um," I started, "sure. You can hang out in my room, if you want."

"No," she declined blatantly.

Rolling my eyes, I grumbled, "Alright, well, what if I sit in your room?"

Through the faint light of the moon seeping through the window, I saw Ellie poke her head outside momentarily. Then, she turned back to me and nodded. With a tired groan, I threw my blanket off of my body and got out of bed. I followed Ellie out of my room and we quietly made our way to her room.

As soon as I entered, I realized that I have never been inside this room. Not even when Maribel was alive. It felt so foreign yet cozy. The bed looked wide and comfy, there was a vintage style vanity across from it, a large rug lay on the floor and light could barely seep through the thick looking curtains. Despite that I've never been in here, I knew that this room probably wasn't renovated as much as everything else.

"You can sit here," Ellie said as she pointed to a cushioned seat at the foot of the bed. I sat down and the box shaped piece of furniture groaned. I have a feeling this isn't meant to be used as a chair. With the apprehension of breaking it with my own weight, I carefully moved around to watch Ellie get into bed.

"Night," she murmured before pulling the comforter over her head.

"Good night," I replied almost in a whisper and leaned my head in my hand. I took to staring off at the wall while I waited for Ellie to fall asleep again. Considering she said she was nervous, she hadn't stirred or wiggled around in her bed. My presence probably calms her down enough to get her sleeping. Good.

After staring at the wall, sitting still and doing nothing, I was falling asleep. I kept waking myself up so I could keep an eye on Ellie but exhaustion was too great. I wasn't sure how long I had fallen asleep but when thunder crashed outside, barely hiding Ellie's scream, it was still dark. I bolted up off of the weird-chair-not-a-chair thing and rushed to the bedside. Ellie was sitting upright, breathing hard. When I touched her shoulder, she was shaking.

"Are you okay," I asked her quietly.

"I had another nightmare," she stammered, voice quivering. I could barely make out her head turning up to me. She continued, "I saw something next to you. Something black a-and it was looking at you. It was hungry. It was going to grab you and I panicked--."

"Ellie, calm down," I said with a collected tone of voice, "I'm fine. Nothing is going to grab me and eat my face off. I'm right here." I squeezed her shoulder just to get that through to her and she sighed. With a light chuckle, I said, "Get some sleep. I'll be here, so don't worry." This time, I took a seat at the edge of the bed and stayed there. Ellie laid back down into bed and pulled the comforter up to her chin. She looked so small in such a big bed. It almost made me laugh, though I knew better.

"Jeff," she called to me in a soft mumble. I looked down at her and she cleared her throat awkwardly. "If you want," she started, "you can lay down. You don't have to keep sitting up."

"You're okay with that?," I asked.

"Don't make it sound weird," she chided, "you touched my boob so this is nothing."

I face-palmed and felt a harsh blush coming to my face. Without arguing against her last sentence, I laid down next her. I didn't want to admit it but her bed was a hell of a lot cozier than the weird-chair-not-a-chair thing, and even my own bed. "Night," I yawned. Ellie hummed and turned in her spot. I had thought she turned away from me so I wasn't prepared to see her pale face facing towards me when I looked over. The comforter was covering her mouth and nose yet I could hear her soft breathing. There was this urge to brush her hair back but I refused it. Instead, I kept my hands on my chest and my eyes towards the ceiling.

The next hour or so was nothing but nodding back and forth from sleep and listening to the sounds of the rainstorm outside. Then, there was also Ellie's tossing and turning, and nervous murmuring. The storm must be triggering all of these nightmares. Hearing her whimper sucked. Seeing her move around from anxiety sucked. There would also be awful moments when she started breathing hard and murmuring louder to the point where she could sob. The first couple of times she did this, I had left her alone. But, finally, I had had enough and inched closer to her writhing figure.

With a gentle grip, I grabbed Ellie and brought her closer to me. As I gradually wrapped my arms around her, I shushed her and calmly whispered to her. "You're okay," I had said, "I'm right here." I wiped away the panicked tears on her face and held her against me. Her hands slipped out from under the comforter and pressed against my chest. At first, I expected her to push me away, but her fingers only clutched my shirt and she pulled herself closer. I sighed sadly, feeling at fault for her crying even when I haven't done anything. Out of everyone in the world, out of all of the bad people still living life without a care, why does she suffer like this?

Ellie slipped her head into the crook of my neck and I was forced to rest my head above hers. As I held her, I heard her sleepily whisper, "Don't leave me." I knew she was still asleep but I responded anyway with, "I won't." After spending an hour awake, keeping watch over Ellie, she never stirred again. She lay sleeping peacefully in my arms and I was relieved. The rainstorm was still surging but thunder couldn't shake her awake, even if it tried. Covering my head with a pillow, I finally let myself relax and fall into sleep again.

...

When I awoke, there was no more sounds of rain beating against the house, or any thunder and lightning. Daylight was poking through from behind the thick curtains, barely illuminating the room. Wait, I don't keep the curtains closed in my room. This isn't even my room.

Looking down, I was a bit startled by Ellie's sleeping figure in my arms. That's when I remembered the events of last night and why I was even here in the first place. I moved my hand from her waist to brush away the hair that had fallen on her face. She stayed sleeping, even when I kept messing with her hair, twisting it between my fingers. It was an unconscious action. An action that I should probably stop. And I did.

The rest of the house was quiet and I couldn't even hear Toby's chatter. Or Ben's. They're all still asleep, maybe? Without a second thought, I turned my attention back to Ellie. There was this sudden longing that took over my chest and I found myself reaching for her face again. It dawned on me how this is the first time in two whole years that I've held someone like this, that I've held her. Memories of past mornings waking up to Ellie in my arms flooded into my mind, giving me a surge of painful nostalgia. God, even the awkward way she puts one leg up on me is the same as before. I've forgotten how badly I need to hold her.

Staring down at her face, another urge came up again. The urge to kiss her. I gulped and lay still. Maybe not on the lips but maybe a tiny peck on her forehead? I mean, the chance is right there...! I just have to move an inch and my lips are on her. Just a peck. One peck. Just. One. Yes.

No.

I sighed and turned my head away. There's no way I can do that to her, regardless if she were to know or not. Holding her is enough.

Ellie suddenly inhaled a deep breath and slowly moved in my arms. I stared at her as she scrunched her nose up and frowned. Deep down, I didn't want her to wake up. I wanted to keep holding her because this may be the last time I ever will. But, I allowed her to wake up from sleep and sit upright in bed. She swayed for a moment, eyes barely open, hair a slight mess. Then, she looked at me, stared, and suddenly face-planted onto my chest. I groaned and lay still as she sluggishly curled on top of me. When she wasn't moving anymore, I wrapped my arms around her once again and sighed in content.

There was a sudden soft, locking sound that snapped me out of my thoughts. I cast my gaze down at Ellie's prosthesis and gulped as her hand was clutching tightly to my shirt. When I tried to move it, it wouldn't budge. "Crap," I hissed to the air. The arm should unlock at some point so if I can wait here while Ellie sleeps then there shouldn't be a problem.

A knock at the door interrupted the peace and quiet of the room. Toby's voice rang out from behind the door, "Ellie, are you awake? It's t-time to get up."

She abruptly woke up with a sharp inhale and groaned. As soon as she lay eyes on me, she gasped and said to Toby, "I'll be out in just a second...!"

"Good morning?," I whispered.

"He can't see you in here," she stammered quietly, "Hide somewhere until everything's clear...!" When she tried to get up, she found herself stuck. I took this chance to state, "Your arm locked up again."

"I see that," she growled.

"Ellie?" Toby called.

"Hold on," she exclaimed. She looked back at me and said, "Help me..!"

The both of us scrambled to pry her arm away but it was ultimately no use. "I have an idea," I stated suddenly. I knew she wouldn't like it but it's the only way out of this predicament. We sat up and I worked to slip out of my shirt. "No, wait, don't take off your shirt," she whined.

"It's the only way out," I argued in a whisper-yell.

"I don't want to see you shirtless!"

"I touched your boob, for crying out loud," I retorted.

"Shut up, only I get to use that against you...!"

"Just let me take off my shirt," I hissed and continued to wiggle myself out of my shirt. Ellie kept warning me to be careful but that didn't save me from falling over the side of the bed somehow. To her dismay, Ellie came tumbling down with me, along with most of the comforter. I contained a groan of pain and lay on the floor while Ellie sat on top of me. I was just about to get up when the door opened and Ellie shoved me down behind the bed. With a fistful of comforter in my face, I was forced to listen to her and Toby.

"I heard a loud thud. Are you okay?," he asked.

"Yeah," Ellie chuckled breathlessly, "I just fell over. Give me a minute to get dressed."

"Okay, well, Clock and I are waiting in the main room," he stated, "We're gonna work on physical therapy for your arm again."

"Gotcha," Ellie chimed.

The door clicked closed and she yanked the comforter off of me. "Well, that was a close one," I muttered. Ellie sighed and stood to her feet, holding my shirt in her locked up metal hand. I picked myself up from the floor and hauled the comforter back onto the bed. Ellie coughed and said, "Here's your shirt." I tugged on the black cloth and deduced that it wouldn't leave her grip for a while. "You keep that for now," I murmured. She looked at my shirt as if it were a dead rat and shrugged. Then, I caught her looking at my chest and she turned away from me with a pink tint on her cheeks.

"I'm gonna go," I said, and made my way to the bedroom door. Opening it carefully, I poked my head out to check for any sign of Toby or Clockwork. Behind me, Ellie called my name and I craned my head to look at her. She stared at me for a moment before saying, "Thank you...for being there for me."

I smiled slightly and said, "No problem." Afterwards, I slipped out into the hallway and tip-toed back into my room. As soon as I opened my door and closed it behind me, I was startled to see Ben sitting at the recliner. He had one leg crossed over the other, his fingertips pressed against one another, and he bore a devious smile on his face. "Good morning, Jeff," he purred and I knew what he had on his mind.

"Where have you been?," I asked him, trying to change the subject before it could begin.

"Where have you been, you stud muffin you," Ben quipped and I sighed. He added, "Where'd your shirt go, huh?"

"It's somewhere," I replied vaguely.

"Why weren't you in the bed last night," he taunted, "sleeping in someone else's?"

"It's not what you think," I argued.

He chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I know. Still, you could've pulled a move, you catch me?" He then wiggled his eyebrows and I shook my head at him.

Ben pushed himself up from the recliner and continued, "Although, sleeping in Ellie's room is pretty juicy in itself. Almost too juicy for Clockwork or Toby to handle..."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I grumbled, "What do you want, Ben?"

"Nothing really," he said, "aside from some help on a project I'm working on."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out later!," he chimed, "But, I do feel like my 'being a little shit' skills have diminished some, so I want to propose a deal."

"And that is?"

Ben flashed me a devilish grin and said, "I won't tell Clockwork and Toby that you and Ellie had a little sleepover if...!" He leaned towards me and whispered the rest of the deal. I practically choked on my own saliva and hissed, "No! There no way in hell I'm gonna do that!"

"Alright," Ben said as he shrugged. He then continued to walk around me, adding, "I'm sure Clockwork would love to hear about this--."

"Okay, fine!," I growled as I grabbed his arm.

Ben smiled widely and chirped, "Great! Now, you might wanna hurry and change before things get weird." He gently elbowed my arm and poked my stomach before strolling out of the room. Once he closed the door, I groaned and took a seat on the bed. I can't believe I agreed to that. Call him that until we leave? Christ, this is going to be a really, really awkward stay.

...

Later on, at night, I stayed holed up in my room. Ben was gone, once again, to get some extra things for his secret project. He won't tell me what it is yet and says it's a surprise. Honestly, I'm nervous about what he has in mind. He hasn't been this productive since he made his masking chip. I wonder what he's up to.

Ben came back with good news as well. Jack and Ao are back to normal. She found out about his "diet", which explains her weird behavior. I was kinda like that when I first met Jack; I was always cautious around him, when in reality he wouldn't lick me even if he got paid. It's good to hear that Ao accepts him. I think it's good. She's gotta have some crazy in her to pull that off. She really is part of the team, then.

It was about seventeen past eleven and I wasn't able to sleep properly. I guess days spent doing nothing but sleeping has finally taken its consequence on me. The house is quiet, assuming everyone is asleep. So it's just the Rubik's cube and I until whenever it is that I knock out.

There was a soft knocking at my door and I froze. Hesitantly, I said, "Come in." The door opened and in stepped Ellie. Before I could say anything, she whispered, "Get up and get dressed."

"Wh-Why--?," I started, but she left before I could finish my question. I sighed and stared down at my Rubik's cube for a moment, before tossing it to the side and getting out of bed. I changed into regular pants and a shirt, along with my old hoodie and the red jacket. I hid a knife in an inner jacket pocket, along with the sunglasses and bandana. As soon as my boots were on, I walked out of the room to meet with Ellie.

She was nowhere in sight and with the lights off, I can't make out much. I huffed, thinking she changed her mind about whatever she had wanted me to do or that she just tricked me. That was until something tapped against a nearby window and I looked over to see Ellie peering in. She tapped her finger lightly on the glass with her normal hand, signaling me to come outside. I quietly opened the front door and exited out into the cold and snow.

"What are you doing out here?," I asked her as I closed the door behind me.

She pulled me away from the house and answered, "There's something I wanted us to do."

"And that is?"

"Have a date," she stated bluntly and I froze. I suddenly found it hard to breathe and I felt heat on my face. There was no sign of trickery in her blue eye (the other was covered with her eyepatch). She held a completely straight face. Stuttering, I replied, "A-and, w-why is that..?"

She shrugged and said, "Well, I want to remember you so I thought maybe if we had a date that it would jog some memories. Plus, dates help people know each other better, right?"

"Well, yeah--."

"Okay, then let's have a date."

"Wait," I said, raising up my hands. She stared at me, almost annoyed. Despite her gaze, I continued, "As flattered as I am right now, I can't allow you to go outside. You're still recovering. It's dangerous for you to be in public, with or without a fully functioning arm."

"I'll be fine, Jeff," she assured, "Besides, we'll be back before Clockwork and Toby notice we left at all."

"Hold up--..!"

"Now, c'mon before I change my mind," she interjected. She then whipped out a small flashlight from her jacket, turned it on, and walked towards the tree-line. Still shocked from the suddenness of the situation, I followed after her in a hurry.

I guess we're going on a date.