A/N: This story is separate from my Slice of Life stories. It's a continuation of Shadows of Things to Come. It's based on the ink! Henry stories and artwork done by shinyzango and themarginalartist on tumblr.

Disclaimer: Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly. I only own my Ocs.

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The Shadows That Follow You

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The first thing Henry did the next day was go to work and put in for his vacation days. His excuse being that he needed time to recover from something that happened months ago. He wouldn't go into details and it seemed he didn't have to. His coworkers were just happy he was getting help. They couldn't see the pentagram in his hand because he made sure of that, but they could see how dark the veins in his hands and arms were. They could tell how quieter he had gotten too. If taking some time off will help, they were more than happy to grant him that.

The next thing Henry tried to do was clean up the drying puddles of ink in his garage. Just the thought that those things tracked him down to his own home made him angry. Bendy offered to help but Henry didn't want him near any of the acetone he was using to clean the floors and walls. By the time he was done, he got most of the ink stains up. There were still traces and marks here and there, but it wasn't as bad as before.

June, for her part, was still a little afraid to enter the garage. Even after Henry assured her it was clean, she still remember being cornered by that creature. Truthfully, she wanted to be on the road as soon as possible, but she knew Henry had some loose ends to tie up. Patience wasn't her strong suit, but she would try for her brother and the little toon's sake.

Speaking of toon: Bendy was walking through his home. He felt bad that they had to leave. He knew it wouldn't be forever, but it sure felt like it. He walked through each room to make sure he didn't forget anything. Soon he found himself in the garage. Henry did a good job of cleaning things up even though the faint smell of acetone was still in the air. He sighed softly and headed back to the door when something dripped on his shoulder. It was ink! He looked up to see a splotch of ink on the ceiling. It was cold and it made his skin crawl. He swiped at his shoulder furiously to get it off and quickly left the garage. Maybe it was time for them to get out of there.

Bendy made his way to the front of the house where Henry was throwing some bags into the trunk of June's car. They decided to take her car and the siblings would take turns driving. Bendy didn't have much to be honest but then again he didn't need a lot. He made sure he packed the teddy bear he won at a state fair and a few books he owned and he was good.

"You guys ready to go?" June questioned her brother and the little toon. Bendy gave her a big grin and a "thumbs up!". Henry just nodded before taking one more look at his home. June walked up to him and leaned against his side.

"It's going to be alright. We'll figure things out. I promise." She took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Henry looked over at her and gave her a warm smile. "I know sis. C'mon, let's get out of here. I'll take the first shift. I wanna get out of this state without getting a ticket."

June laughed and slapped Henry on the arm. "Just don't drive like an old man, okay?" He scowled playfully and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He hugged her and lead her to the car. Bendy was standing near the back door with a huge grin on his face. It was nice seeing a playful side to his friend. Who would have thought having his sister around could do that.

They all hopped into June's car and they were on their way. Bendy saw some of the neighborhood kids playing outside and he waved to them. They called out to him and waved back. He will miss them, but he knows he'll be back. Besides, he was on his way to making some new friends and that always made him happy.

A few hours into the trip found the little group singing to a few tunes on the radio or Bendy and June playing 'I Spy'. In spite of the circumstances of them leaving, Henry was actually enjoying himself. June had drifted off to sleep listening to the toon point out various things he seen on the side of the road. Henry let her since she would be taking over in a few hours.

Four hours later, they found themselves at a rest stop. Henry made sure the car was gassed up before they got a bite to eat at a small diner nearby. The place wasn't crowded, quite cozy, and the staff was friendly. Very few people gave Bendy a second look. Henry was grateful for that. They ordered three ham on ryes and three bottles of pop. June and Henry spent most of the meal laughing and trying to answer some of Bendy's questions. It was rather nice.

When they were done, they settled the bill, left a tip, and piled back into the car. It was June's turn to drive. Good thing too. She turned to a soft jazz station and within an hour both man and toon were out like a light. The past couple of days were stressful and she figured they needed the rest. She didn't mind. If she could help just a little bit, she was happy to do so.

The sun was just setting and the street lights were flickering on by the time June turned down the road that lead to her home. She smiled as she pulled into her driveway. She could see the lights on the first floor. Looks like someone was home. Well, time to wake up the sleeping beauties.

June reached over and shook her brother's shoulder lightly. "We're here bro." She looked to the back seat and chuckled. The little toon was curled onto his side and snoring lightly. She reached back and ran her fingers against one of his horns. A lazy smile spread across his face and he sighed softly. June just shook her head before playfully poking the toon in the cheek. "C'mon, up and at'em!"

There were a chorus of groans as Henry and Bendy finally opened their eyes. The little toon demon was the first to notice they weren't moving anymore.

"Are were here?" June smiled and pointed out the window. Bendy jumped up and pressed his gloved hands and face against the back window. They were parked next to a large farm house with a huge front yard and a beautiful flower bed by the steps.

Henry noticed a big red rig parked on the side of the house. "Looks like Jason's home." June reached out and ruffled her fingers between the toon's horns. "Looks like you're in luck! You'll get to meet everyone at once."

They all exited the car and grabbed their bags out of the trunk. By the time June locked up the car, Bendy was already at the front door. June made her way up the stairs. She opened the door and ushered her brother and the toon inside.

"I'm home!" June yelled out. She put her bag down and knelt down just in time for two little girls to come bounding out of the kitchen and into her arms. They hugged her tightly and began talking to her all at once.

"What? Am I invisible?" both girls turned to see their uncle standing there. Henry had to brace himself because his nieces nearly bowled him over. He managed to scoop both girls up in his arms. They giggled and hugged him. Henry realized how long he'd been away from his family and how much he missed this.

"Back so soon, honey?" A man a little taller than Henry stepped out of the kitchen. He had long red hair tied into a loose ponytail, light grey eyes and a mustache. His eyes lit up when he noticed the man holding his daughters.

"Henry?! Son of a gun!" he made his way over to the group. Jason gave June a hug before patting his brother-in-law on the back. "It's been too long!"

"Yeah, I know." Henry could feel Bendy's excitement tickling at the back of his mind. He needed to introduce his friend before he burst!

"Um guys, there's someone I'd like you to meet." In all the excitement, neither the girls nor Jason noticed the short black and white figure standing next to Henry. The entire room fell silent. He took this opportunity to set the girls back on the floor. The adults stood back and watched as the little group studied each other.

After a moment, Bendy held out his hand. "Hi! I'm Bendy."

The taller of the two girls stepped forward and shook his hand. "Um, Hi! I'm Bethany. But you can call me Beth." She pointed to a girl that seemed to be hiding behind her. "This is my little sister, Sarah." Sarah waved at him but didn't come any closer.

Bendy tilted his head to the side. If he didn't know any better, he'd swore that Sarah was scared of him. But that couldn't be right. Kids loved him! He stepped a little closer and held out his hand to her. Sarah gasped and took a few steps back, thus pulling Beth back with her. "Sarah!" Beth shouted as she stumbled a bit. Sarah apologized but continued to hide behind her sister.

Bendy stopped in his tracks and let his hand fall to his side. She really was scared of him! For some odd reason, that hurt. There was a slight pain in his chest. He didn't like people being afraid of him, especially children. A hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Jason staring down at him with a sad smile on his face.

"Sorry about that Bendy. Sarah is very…shy. It takes her awhile to warm up to new people." Bendy nodded in understanding but it still hurt. He absentmindedly rubbed at his chest.

Jason sighed and asked the girls if they could set the table since they had guests. He waited for them to disappear into the kitchen before he turned to the rest of the group.

"Alright, what's going on?" June looked at her brother and the toon. Henry was running his fingers through his white patch of hair. Bendy was wringing his gloved hands together. June sighed and began telling her husband what happened when she showed up at her brother's place. Each person took turns telling their parts of the story and by the time they were done, Jason was hugging June tightly. He thanked Henry and Bendy over and over again for bringing her home safe.

The girls ran out to proclaim that the table was set. Everyone made their way to the kitchen. Jason removed a large pot from the stove and placed it in the middle of the table.

Beth took a seat next to Bendy and was amazed as the little toon sniffed at the air. As far as she could see, he didn't have a nose!

"Mmmm, that smells good! What is it?" Jason smiled and proudly puffed out his chest. He told the toon it was his specialty, beef stew. Everyone's bowl was filled and they all hummed their appreciation. June even kissed the chef which earned a few 'ewwws' from around the table.

Beth spent that time asking Bendy all sorts of questions. She couldn't believe she had a living cartoon sitting next to her. He was so lively. Every time he told her a story, he would wave his hands around as he spoke. It was almost as if he couldn't sit still. It was fascinating to her. Even more so than the fact that he didn't have a neck! His head just kinda bobbed up and down on his shoulders.

Sarah was fascinated by the toon but for different reasons. She watched as he talked with her sister and made her laugh and hang off his every word. He just didn't seem real, even though he was sitting right there. Sarah had often daydreamed about her favorite cartoon characters coming to life. She never thought she'd actually meet one. It was very strange and it made her very uncomfortable. She knew her shyness made it hard for her to make friends. This situation wasn't helping much. She even had a hard time meeting his odd eyes, often turning away when he caught her staring. She concentrated on her food and hoped her mother wouldn't want to talk to her about this tonight.

Henry tried to keep up with the conversation he was having with his sister and her husband, but the feelings of frustration that was scratching at the back of his mind, was distracting him. He would catch the little toon staring at his niece. He would try to include her in the stories he was telling Beth and either Sarah gave him short answers or didn't answer at all. It always left a spike of negative emotions bouncing through their bond. Henry knew he would have to pull Bendy aside and talk to him before things got out of hand.

After dinner was done, the kids went into the living room to watch a little television while the adults cleaned up the table. June went upstairs to fix up the guest room for her brother and toon demon. Jason and Henry sat on the couch, talking quietly while Bendy and the girls sat on the floor watching television.

The evening was spent watching The Adventures of Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier. The girls and Bendy pointed at the screen with huge grins on their faces. They would 'ooh' and 'ahh' as Davy took on whatever the wilds had thrown in his direction.

After awhile the girls tried to hide their yawns and swore up and down that they weren't tired. Jason just chuckled and lead them up the stairs to their rooms. Bendy kept nodding off and claiming he was just resting his eyes. June crossed her arms over her chest and told the little toon that no one believed him. She smiled as she watched her brother scoop the toon up into his arms. She grabbed their bags and showed them to the guest room.

The room was large enough to have a full sized bed against the wall, a dresser in one corner, a full length mirror in the other, and a cot on the other side of the room. June placed their bags near the dresser and pulled back the covers on the cot so Henry could put the little toon to bed.

June caressed the toon's cheek as her brother fished out his teddy bear from one of the bags. He placed it under the blankets and the siblings smiled as Bendy curled his body around it.

June gave her brother another hug before bidding him a good night. He returned the gesture and watched her leave the room.

"Don't worry bud. Everything will be fine. You'll see." Henry sent Bendy waves of calm and reassurance through their bond as he got ready for bed.

Bendy sighed and let himself relax. Sure, they had to leave there home, but things will work themselves out.

The little toon winced, clutched at his chest, and curled in on himself more. Why did these thoughts hurt him so much?

To Be Continued.