Eternal Slumber

Billy lay huddled in his bed. Grim frowned down at the boy, hands on his hips and shaking his head. If he'd told him once, he'd told him a thousand times to stay out of his trunk. Now the boy was paying for it, finally. Grim sighed in frustration. How was he going to explain this to Mandy? He would have to find some way around it one way or another. Billy was the buffer zone between him and the girl. "Grim!" Mandy called from downstairs as the door banged open. Right on cue. Typical Mandy.

"Billy's room chil'!" Grim called down. He counted down from ten, because Mandy certainly wouldn't be bothered running. Just as he hit one, she kicked open the door and walked to the bed.

"He's still asleep?" she said.

"You bet," Grim answered.

"Well why didn't you wake him?" she asked in annoyance.

"Believe me chil', I tried. Don't waste your breath. He ain't wakin' up," Grim replied.

"We'll see about that," Mandy declared. Grim shrugged. He warned her. "Wake up Billy!" Mandy shouted. The boy hardly groaned. She blinked then frowned, shaking him while saying in annoyance, "Billy, get up." She slapped him. Nothing. "Cookies!" she simply said. That usually worked. Not even a stir.

"Don't bother wit' water and smellin' salts, I tried dose," Grim declared. "Look Mandy, he got into me trunk and took a whiff of an underworld sleeping potion. He'll probably never wake up again unless I can convince a certain someone to let him loose."

"Too bad," she said. "Call me when he wakes up."

"You ain't listenin' child. He won't wake up. He might get to a half awake state, but the boy is done for girl, done for," Grim repeated.

"Billy always wakes up. One week Grim, and I'll be back," Mandy replied, walking away. Grim sighed helplessly. Time to try and reach out to a few connections, but he wasn't holding out much hope.

GAoBaM

Sure enough, one week later Mandy walked into his house. She observed his mother sobbing hysterically, his father looking at a picture of the boy miserably. Ugh, pathetic. You would think Billy was dead the way they were acting. Mourning, bah, it was for the weak. Mandy walked on. Seeing Grim by the TV she looked at him. He caught her gaze and knew her question before she'd asked. She'd only asked it daily since Billy had stopped waking up. "He's half awake, but don't expect more." She'd seen him half-awake before. He just sank right back into full sleep. "The boy's fightin' his fate every step of the way." Mandy harrumphed and walked right up to Billy's room.

Billy sensed a presence nearby. This time it wasn't Milkshakes. He forced one eye half open and made out blond hair kneeling on his bed at his feet. His eye closed again. "Mandy," he barely mumbled.

"I'm here Billy," she boredly replied. Why didn't he just get up? He always did. She crawled over top of him and looked down in frustration. She shook him then bent down saying into his ear, "Wake up already idiot boy. I'm bored." His eye half-opened again. She smirked. He was a heck of a fighter when he needed to be.

"Mandy. I loves you," he remarked suddenly in the innocent tone he held so often. She started, gasping. No, no, she had no reason to be surprised. This was Billy. He didn't even know what love was.

After a moment she replied in a casual tone, "I know." If nothing else, maybe her voice would keep him talking and he'd finally snap out of it. His sleeping was seriously hindering all her plans and schedules for the week. Besides, it wasn't romantic of course, ewe no. This was Billy. This was her best friend. Just her best friend, right, right? Still, she lay down next to him. She was tired anyway. She might as well nap.

GAoBaM

She woke up to Billy stirring and gasped. Her mouth was brushing his cheek! She pulled away in disgust. Oh she was never doing this again. Her breathing was in time with his clock, Billy realized half-awake, and why was her mouth on his face? Oh well, he had to wake up. He had to. She was bored, and she wanted him to play with her. Desperately he forced his eyes to open. There he saw the shocked girl bending over him, looking at him. "Mandy?" he questioned.

"Yeah Billy," she replied.

"Did I say… you know… out loud?" he asked.

"Yes Billy," she answered.

"Oh… are you gonna use me as a punching bag now?" he inquired.

"Your submission is exactly why I love you. Yes Billy," she confirmed.

"Cool! Let's go play!" he exclaimed, leaping out of bed as if he'd never been asleep. Mandy blinked, smirked in vague amusement and followed.

As they walked through the TV room, where Grim sat watching his shows, Mandy said, "Grim we're going out to play. You're not."

Grim gasped and looked over in shock as the two passed him. "Ya woke Billy?!" Grim cried in surprise before.

"Billy woke himself," Mandy answered.

"Mom, dad, I'm going outside with Mandy!" Billy called into the kitchen. Grim and Mandy heard Gladys scream in happiness then drag Billy into the kitchen. The boy was hardly able to breathe as his mother had wrapped her arms around him so tightly.

"Billy, son, you're alright!" Harold exclaimed. Grim blinked. Mandy frowned and rolled her eyes then followed Billy into the kitchen. After a while she and Billy came out, Gladys and Harold following, relieved tears in their eyes. Grim sighed, disgusted at the mortal's. Oh well, he supposed he'd better hide his trunk, again, and take out anything potentially fatal for the pest.