Limited Time

by Skylark Starflower

All good things must come to an end.

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel.

So, this is an idea I was kicking around for a while, and this is what came of it. It's very fluffy and tragic, which is what I like best. Mwee hee heh! Have fun. And I'll just say right now that I'm not trained in advanced robotics or whatever. I don't know the first thing about how robots like Quote and Curly would really work. I'm just making stuff up that sounds plausible to me. If it really wouldn't work, go ahead and tell me if you want, just don't bite my head off, kay? This is a fanfic, after all. And it's gotten to be more than twice the length I'd originally expected. Yay!

"Limited Time"
By Skylark Starflower
Started June 14th, 2007
Finished July 15th, 2007

"Curly?"

The female robot lifted her head from the pillow and glanced in the direction of the voice. Quote was standing in the doorway, his expression a quizzical smile. "Are you getting up? It's almost noon."

"I'll be right there," she replied. Quote flashed her another smile and disappeared from the room as Curly picked herself up from the bed. Though she had just finished a sleep cycle, she still felt like she needed to rest. It was odd, but she didn't worry about it. It had never happened before, and probably wouldn't happen again.

She let her mind wander as she pulled on her clothes, going about her morning routine. It had been almost eight years now since she and Quote had defeated the Doctor and Ballos, and ever since then they had been living in the place Balrog had found for them.

Curly would be the first to admit she hadn't really expected him to be able to find anything, assuming she and Quote would help him in the end. But then the boxy creature, his eyesight better than Curly had thought, spotted a cabin in the woods below as they had flown around. After checking it out and finding it to be abandoned, the three moved right in and had stayed there ever since.

She was somewhat surprised that, even after eight years, none of them had gotten bored with the place. Though there wasn't really much to be done, it was enough to keep the three of them content throughout the years. She and Balrog had started a garden, growing mostly flowers, but also some vegetables and fruits. It was strange, though they were robots, part of their systems still required food to function, even if nutritional value wasn't much of a worry.

Quote had become quite handy with a toolbox over the years; his first job after moving in had been to fix the run down cabin with the equipment that had been left behind by the previous owners. Since then, he had kept himself busy keeping their home standing. He had even added more rooms and built a tree house of sorts not far away, in a clearing where a brook ran through. He, Curly and sometimes Balrog would spend hours in it, just watching the scenery and enjoying each other's company.

It only took Curly a few moments to get dressed and ready for the day, and she practically skipped out of the cabin, suddenly filled with what seemed like boundless energy. She smiled, reassured that her earlier fatigue meant nothing.

"Good morning!" Balrog greeted the female robot cheerfully as he saw her exit. "Almost thought you were going to sleep all day."

"You know I couldn't waste daylight like that," she replied with a smile. Looking around, she noticed that Quote wasn't around, so she asked Balrog where he had gone.

"Um…" The boxy creature tapped at the side of his head with a wing. "I think he went to fix the hole in the floor at the tree house."

"Thanks. I'll see you later then." With that, Curly ran off to the clearing. Though they all called it a tree house, it was really just a platform with a roof in case it rained. One of the floorboards had given out under Balrog's weight a few days earlier, but Quote had been too busy fixing a leak in the roof of the cabin to worry about it until now.

From where Curly stood on the forest floor, she could see him kneeling on the platform, a hammer in his hand. The sound of it striking wood and nail echoed with each swing he took. He was working hard, and she couldn't help but smile as she watched.

"Quote!"

He stopped hammering and turned to her call, tipping his faded red hat back on his head before waving. She laughed, waved back and ran to the tree to climb the ladder and join him on the platform. She fell into his waiting embrace, hugging him tightly. She didn't really understand the way she and Quote had come to feel about each other, but she really didn't care. She just enjoyed the sensation of his strong arms wrapped around her.

"What's with you today?" he asked, good humour lacing his voice. "The last time you overslept was back on the island."

"And that wasn't really my fault, you know." Curly smiled and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing. Won't happen again."

"I hope not. I can't help but worry, you know me."

"I do. I also know you worry too much." She snatched his hat and pulled it onto her own head, jumping lightly away from his attempt to grab it back, and chuckled. "You also work too hard, sometimes. Forget about that hole, let's just waste some time together, okay?"

Quote looked from the hammer he was holding to Curly, then back to the hammer before tossing it to the ground. "I was just finishing up anyway." With that, he grabbed onto Curly and pulled her down until they were lying together across the platform. She laughed again as he pressed his nose against the back of her neck, hot air tickling her as he breathed.

Quote and Curly didn't need oxygen to survive, but they had been built to breathe to be more humanlike. It wasn't a useless procedure, however; it acted as part of their cooling systems. They brought in cool air as they inhaled, and exhaled the air heated by their constantly running parts. Curly wasn't worrying about that, however, as she snuggled more comfortably into Quote's embrace.

"I love this place," she whispered. Quote didn't reply but he tightened his grip around her and she could practically feel his contented smile. She had yet to get tired of spending time like this with him, and they had started almost as soon as they had moved in. It just felt right, though she had no idea why.

"Oh look!" exclaimed Quote, and he pointed towards the brook. Three deer had come out from the woods for a drink. They hadn't noticed the two robots up in the trees. Quietly, the two sat up and just watched. It was simple pursuits like this Curly enjoyed most of all.

Setting her head on Quote's shoulder, she let her eyes slip closed, feeling him slide his arm around her waist. She didn't notice as she began to drift off to sleep.

X X X

"Curly? Curly…"

She blinked her eyes open, for a moment not understanding what was going on. She felt hands on her face, fingers brushing her cheeks and realised that Quote had removed his gloves.

Though he had spent the last several years working with tools, Quote's gloves had protected the delicate plastic and rubber parts from wearing out. His hands were still as soft and smooth as they had been the day he had been first activated. Curly loved the feel of his hands, and he knew that.

"What's wrong?" As she was asking, she became aware of the fact that she was back in her bed, in the cabin, and she could tell by the light streaming in the window that it was sunset. Quote was standing over her, cupping her face in his hands, his features creased with worry. Balrog was in the corner, the only place where he would fit without crowding the two little robots. He looked as concerned as Quote.

"You fell asleep, Curly."

If she had been human, it would have been a silly thing to worry about, but she wasn't. She and Quote weren't built to just fall asleep without notice, and especially not so soon after finishing a previous sleep cycle. The fact that Curly had meant something was wrong.

She wanted to say it wasn't true; that it was impossible, but she knew it was a lie. Otherwise, where had the time gone? For Curly, it had been noon only moments ago, and now it was almost dark. She had fallen asleep, and worse, Quote had been unable to wake her.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked. Trying to sit up, she found she didn't have enough energy to hold herself upright. Quote caught her as she fell back and gently eased her down again.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. He gently brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. Curly realised then that he was doing it to keep her calm. He really didn't know what was wrong, but he was more concerned with her well being and keeping her from panicking that he was trying not to panic himself. She couldn't help but smile, though it was weak.

Balrog remained back from the two, feeling helpless. Though he had been with Quote and Curly since they had left the island, he still didn't feel like he really fit in. And now that Curly was malfunctioning, he felt even more out of place. He knew he couldn't help, and it bothered him.

"So…" He awkwardly broke the silence that had fallen after Quote's last statement. Quote and Curly both started before looking in his direction, making the boxy creature even more uncomfortable, certain he really didn't belong with the two.

"I'm sorry, Balrog," replied Quote, scratching at the back of his neck, looking guilty. "I forgot you were there."

"Doesn't matter. I just want to know… Is there anything I can do?"

Curly looked from Quote to Balrog, and knew that neither of them had any idea what to do. It was upsetting, but she wasn't mad at either of them. It wasn't their fault they didn't know what was wrong.

Quote shook his head, looking miserable. "I wish I knew what to do. I wish I knew what was wrong. But I don't." He dropped his head, cupping it in his hands. "Damn my faulty memory… Damn it!"

"Quote…" Curly touched his arm, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He didn't say anything right away, and wiped angrily at his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Curly," he said. "I want to help, but I can't. I… just can't…"

He took her by surprise when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She hugged him back, but couldn't help it as she started to laugh weakly.

"Quote, calm down." She smiled at him, though it was nervous. "I know something's wrong with me, but that doesn't mean it's as bad as you think. Maybe it'll correct itself."

He backed up and blinked at her. It was obvious he hadn't thought of that. She knew he tended to focus on the worst possible scenario, but she couldn't fault him for that, after everything he had had to do on the island.

"We can't do anything about it, so try not to worry. I'll be fine," she continued.

"I…I guess." Quote wanted to believe her, wanted to believe everything would be okay, but he couldn't help feeling that it wasn't true. There really wasn't anything he could do, though, so he tried to ignore his misgivings. "Is there anything I can do for you right now?"

Curly smiled at him, forcing herself to act as confident as she wished she felt. "I…actually feel like I need to rest. I'll be better when I wake up again, okay?"

"Okay. We'll let you rest, then." Quote helped her lay back and tucked her under the covers. He pressed a hand against her forehead, leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll come check on you later, okay?"

She nodded back and her eyes slid closed as she went back to sleep. He stood and watched her for several moments, before turning to Balrog and motioning to him to leave the cabin. The boxy creature trundled out, Quote following. The little scout robot only got several feet away before he fell to the ground in despair. Balrog came up beside him and placed a wing on his back in an attempt to comfort him.

"Why is this happening?"

"You know, she said she'd be fine, right? Maybe you should trust her," Balrog replied.

"I do! …But I can't help the feeling that… that she's…" Quote trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence for fear that would somehow make it come true.

"I know." Balrog didn't want to admit it, but he knew what Quote feared, and he had a worrying feeling that the little scout robot was right. "But all we can do is wait and see."

Quote nodded miserably and started to wander off towards the tree house. Balrog wanted to follow him, didn't want to be alone, but he figured Quote wouldn't want to be bothered. So he let him go, and tromped off to the garden he and Curly had grown together, and started to weed.

X X X

Curly slept until the next morning. When she woke, she found Quote curled up next to her, his arm draped across her shoulders, still asleep. She smiled and rolled over until she was cuddling his sleeping form to her chest like a big teddy bear, her chin resting on the top of his head.

She did feel better now that she had rested, but she could tell whatever was wrong wasn't going away. She didn't want to admit it, but it did seem likely that Quote was right to be overly concerned. There really wasn't anything any of them could do about it, especially not knowing what the problem was in the first place. She pushed those depressing thoughts aside and focused her attention on enjoying her time with Quote. She didn't know how much she had left.

Curly didn't move until Quote woke up, and even once he had, the two remained locked in their embrace. Neither spoke for several moments, but Quote cuddled up closer to Curly's body. He wanted to be as near to her as possible. He also wanted to know how she felt, but he was afraid to ask, afraid to hear the answer. As it turned out, she was the one who brought it up.

"Quote?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm feeling better now."

He perked up at this, uncurling from her so he could look her in the eye. "Really? Do you think… are you going to be okay now?"

His hopeful smile faded as she raised her hand and touched his face, her own expression worried. "I do feel better, but I can tell something is still wrong…"

"But it's going to be okay, right? You're going to be okay…right?" Quote looked so small, so scared that Curly almost didn't want to tell him the truth. She had to, though. She didn't want to lie to him.

"I don't know, Quote." She pressed her face into his shoulder. "I don't want to die…"

Quote couldn't help it after hearing that. Though he was frightened of the idea of her dying, he couldn't worry about that while Curly was hurting. He pushed his own worries aside and tried to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry, Curly. I wish I knew what to do."

"It's okay, I don't expect you to know everything, you know." She smiled at him and sat up. "We can't sit here and sulk all day. Let's get outside and enjoy some of that sunshine."

"I…uh…okay."

Sometimes Quote really didn't understand Curly. In the face of unbelievable strife, she could still put on a happy face, pretend everything was all right. Despite their roles when it came to saving the island, he felt she was made of far tougher stuff than he.

The two little robots got up and headed outside. Balrog was already there, working in the garden again. He had an uncanny knack for colour coordination, and while Curly had planted most of the flowers herself, he had been the one to decide where each should go.

"Hey guys!" Balrog couldn't help smiling, seeing Curly up and about. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, a bit," replied Curly. She didn't feel it necessary to worry the giant toaster with the details, though she wasn't trying to keep him out of the loop.

"Curly, can you help me with something?" Balrog had dug out a new section of garden, and it was pretty clear what he wanted.

"Of course I will, Balrog." Curly turned to Quote. "Wanna watch? Or I could meet you at the tree house or something?"

Quote though for a moment. "I want to see if I can reinforce the floor at the tree house so no one'll break through it again." With this announcement, he turned towards Balrog and placed his hands on his hips with a look of mock annoyance.

"Oh, come on!" protested Balrog, though he knew Quote was just joking. "For my size, I'm fairly lightweight!"

"Yeah, a little less than a small tank. I should know, you've landed on my head before," Quote replied, a smartass grin plastered across his face as he tapped at his temple.

"Oh, leave him alone," chided Curly, giving him a playful shove.

"Okay, okay. I guess I'll see you later, then." With that, Quote headed off as Curly joined Balrog at the flowerbed as the box started to outline a new plan for planting.

X X X

It was about an hour later when Curly and Balrog arrived in the clearing to find Quote hammering extra boards to the bottom of the tree house. He hadn't noticed the two yet, and Balrog decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Huzzah!"

Quote turned with a start as Balrog gave a small jump forward, not coming anywhere near the little robot but still causing him to stumble and fall backwards onto his butt.

"Hey!" Quote protested as he stood and brushed himself off. Curly and Balrog however were too busy laughing to reply. After a few seconds scowling at the two, he gave in and starting laughing along with them. "Finished gardening already?"

"Uh huh!" Balrog nodded enthusiastically. Curly just giggled. It always amused her to see how much the giant box loved gardening. She never would have imagined it if she hadn't seen it for herself. "Just wait until the flowers bloom! It's gonna be great!"

"I'm sure it will." Quote gave his handy work a quick glance before continuing. "I'm only a little more than half done, so I'm not going to be that interesting to watch, if you two wanted to go do something else."

"Don't be silly, Quote. Take a break! Heaven knows you've earned one." Curly took him by the wrist and pulled him towards her into a quick hug. "You really do work too much."

"I can't help it. It keeps me busy," he replied with a sheepish grin. "How are you feeling now, anyway?"

"I'm okay." It was a bald faced lie. She wasn't okay and she knew it. Since she had gotten up, she could feel herself running down. She was slowly losing energy and she had a feeling that there would be no coming back from it this time. She just didn't want him to worry about something he could do nothing to fix.

He saw right through it. "No, you're not. Curly, tell me the truth."

She couldn't meet his eyes, looking away to stare at the ground. "Quote, please… don't…"

"Don't lie to me, Curly. I want to know. I can handle it…"

"…"

"Curly!" Quote didn't really realise what he was doing as he took her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Please!"

"Quote, stop it!" She pushed him away, giving him a look of hurt reproach. He fell back, looking shocked, surprised by his own actions. Balrog just stayed back, watching, wanting to help, but unable to do anything.

"I… Curly… I'm sorry…" Quote tried to take her by the hand but she pulled it away. "I didn't… I'm scared… I don't want to lose you…"

For several moments there was silence, save for the sounds of surrounding nature and Quote's feeble hiccupping, the little robot on the verge of tears. Curly slowly let out a deep breath before wrapping her arms around her now sobbing partner and pulling him to her body. He buried his face in her shoulder and let out all the pent up frustration and fear he had been carrying since the day before.

"I'm the one who should be sorry, Quote. All this time, I've been pretending everything was all right, when it wasn't. I didn't want to tell you how I really felt because I didn't want to worry you over something we can't do anything about. That wasn't fair to you, or Balrog, and I can see that, despite my efforts, you've probably worried more about me this way than if I had just been honest in the first place."

Quote pulled back and gave Curly a look of disbelief. "But then… that means…"

She didn't reply, leaving Quote to draw his own conclusions. It was pretty obvious what she was getting at, but he was still glad she hadn't said it out loud. His worst fear was coming true, but it still seemed to him that once it was spoken, nothing could undo it.

"No… no…" He pressed his forehead into her shoulder again, but he didn't cry this time. He was through with crying; it wasn't going to help anything now.

Curly hugged him again. "I'm sorry…"

"Why? It's not your fault." Quote straightened up again, and gave her a shaky, and somewhat sheepish smile. "If anyone should apologize, it should be me. I haven't been making this easy for you."

"It's okay, I understand. It hasn't been easy for you, either."

It was at this point Balrog turned and started to walk away. Both Quote and Curly turned, startled. They had forgotten he was even there.

"Oh, god… Balrog, I'm so sorry." Curly meant it, but she knew it wasn't going to be enough. It was the second time in so many days that they had forgotten him.

Balrog stopped at the voice, and turned back for a moment. "No, it's okay. I get it, I do. I'll… just leave you alone."

The big box did understand, and though he felt left out the way Quote and Curly focused solely on each other, he really wasn't angry with the two. He could see that they loved each other, even if they didn't realise it themselves. He in truth had no place within their world, though he had tried to live in it for the past eight years.

Quote was about to try to stop Balrog, call him back, when Curly raised a hand to stay him. She shook her head. "Let him go," she whispered.

"But…"

She shook her head again and he fell silent, watching Balrog leave quietly, feeling guilty. He did like big box, though they hadn't gotten off on the right foot to begin with, and it bothered him now to see him hurt. He understood why he was leaving, but it didn't make him feel any better.

The two little robots watched until Balrog was out of view before turning back to each other. Neither of them really knew what to say now, but what was there to be said? There was nothing that could be spoken now that could save Curly. What they didn't know was that, while Curly's operating systems were slowly shutting down, it wasn't the only death mechanism she had been programmed with.

A virus, programmed to release after a certain amount of time had been clocked by her systems, was now ravaging her very core, the data that made her who she was. Even if, once she shut down, someone were able to get her rebooted, her memory, her personality, would be gone, destroyed by the worm. She would be nothing more than a shell, Curly in appearance only.

"…What would you like to do now?" Though his voice was subdued, Quote's question broke the silence, sounding much louder for it.

"Honestly, I don't have the energy left to do much. Let's…just sit up in the tree house until…" Curly trailed off, unwilling to complete her thought out loud. Not that she needed to, they both knew what was coming.

"All right." Quote helped Curly up the ladder to the tree house. Once they were up, Quote sat down facing the western horizon. At first, Curly leaned into his shoulder as they sat in silence, watching the sun overhead as it slowly, ever so slowly, travelled from its zenith towards the horizon.

Neither of them spoke for a long time. Neither of them had anything to say, and Curly couldn't help feeling that anything she did now that was unnecessary would just cut her life that much shorter. The silence started to get to her after a while, though.

"Quote?" she said finally.

"Hmm?" He turned his head so he could see her face.

She didn't say anything for several moments. "I don't know. I just couldn't bear the silence any longer."

"I see. Are you sure you don't want to do anything else?"

"I'm sure. This is good enough for me right now."

Quote hugged her closer; unable to admit to her that he felt he wasn't doing enough. He wanted to do something, anything that would help him forget what was coming. However, he was going to do what Curly wanted. He had decided her needs came before his.

Silence fell once again over the two little bots as they continued to watch the sun as it headed down towards the horizon. Another several minutes passed before either of them moved again.

Curly sat up and turned towards Quote. He felt her move and turned to see what she was doing. Without saying a word, she touched a hand to his face.

"Curly?" he asked, curious and somewhat startled.

Instead of replying, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, taking him off guard with the force of the kiss. Throwing her arms around him, she clutched at him, unwilling to let him go, to leave him. She knew this was going to be her last chance to really show Quote how she felt about him, even if she didn't really understand the feelings herself. It only took him a moment before he started to kiss back with the same intensity, clinging to her with a desperate need.

They stayed locked together for several moments before Curly finally pulled away. Quote stared at her, stunned. He was a confused jumble of emotions, pleased by kiss, and yet knowing this was going to be the last time he would be able to experience it. It was depressing.

He started to say something, but she pressed and finger to his lips and he fell silent again. Curly leaned into his shoulder, not really sure what to do next. She wanted to kiss him again, but she wasn't sure she should. It seemed almost cruel to her that she had kissed him in the first place; it was just going to make it harder for him once she was gone.

"I'm sorry, Quote... I shouldn't have done that," she said, sliding down to rest her head on his lap.

"It's okay…" He started to stroke her hair. "I don't mind…"

Curly sighed and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his fingers brushing gently through her hair. "Quote, I lrvmm mmmnb…" She trailed off into gibberish without noticing, and drifted away, a tender smile on her face.

He glanced down, trying to figure out what she had been trying to say. "Curly? What was that?"

When she didn't reply, he shook her shoulder, trying to get a reaction from her as fear wrapped around his heart and started squeezing like a vice. But nothing he could do would help now. She was gone.

X X X

Balrog was sitting, staring at the garden, his mind blank. He hadn't been doing anything since leaving Quote and Curly at the tree house; there wasn't really anything he had to do, anyway. He just wandered around aimlessly, waiting for something to happen, but dreading it at the same time. When it did come, he found himself wishing he could go back to waiting.

Quote's expression was blank, empty, as he returned to the cabin. In his arms he carried Curly's still form. He didn't know what do to with her, though he wasn't ready to give her up yet. He hadn't cried for her yet; he hadn't been able to. Once he did, it would make it real. He would have to face the truth; Curly was dead and there wasn't anything he could do to bring her back.

Balrog approached him slowly, but the big box didn't know what to say. He touched a wing to Quote's arm, the only thing he could think to do. "How are you holding up?" he asked finally.

Quote shook his head slowly, his expression gradually changing from blank to one of grief as the little robot dropped to his knees, giving into reality. He cradled Curly's body as he started to sob bitterly. Balrog continued to stand with him, doing his best to comfort him, but knowing it would never be enough.

X X X

They buried Curly that night, under a tree she had favoured during life. At least, Balrog did. Quote wasn't in the best condition to help. He had cried for a long time, but once he had stopped, he had fallen into a deep depression. He no longer had the drive to do much of anything, and this worried Balrog, hoping that the little robot wouldn't just give up on life, though he couldn't blame him if he did.

Balrog was upset by Curly's death, but he hadn't been in love with her. Quote had, and he understood that it was going to be quite a while before Quote would ever get back to some semblance of the way he had been before. He was determined to do what he could to help, though.

The oversized box sat with the little robot as he stared at Curly's grave, his expression sullen. The two stayed there until the rain drove them indoors, but once inside, Quote tucked himself into a corner and continued to sulk. Balrog wasn't sure what to do until Quote spoke.

"Balrog?" The little robot's voice was subdued, though there was a hint of anger.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think… she was programmed to die?"

The question caught Balrog off guard. Even the fact that Quote was willing to talk about it at all so soon seemed odd. The big box still didn't have an answer for him, though. "I don't know. What reason would they have had for that?"

Quote shrugged miserably. "I don't know… But I was thinking, if that were the case, then why haven't I… why don't I seem to have the same set-up?"

Balrog was frightened by Quote's line of questioning. He wasn't sure why he was worried, but there was something dangerous in the little robot's tone. He felt like he was going to have to keep an eye on him, to make sure he didn't do anything he might regret later. He did, however, think of something, though he wasn't sure he should mention it. In the end, he couldn't keep it to himself.

"You said once you were offline for ten years, didn't you?"

Quote nodded, but he wasn't really sure where Balrog was going with it.

"What if… you do have the same system, but your timer, or whatever activates it, is ten years slow now?"

Quote froze. He hadn't thought of that possibility at all, but it was entirely possible now that he had. He didn't know which was worse, knowing that he was meant to die with Curly, or the fact that he hadn't, that he still had ten more years left in his life.

When he was offline, Quote hadn't been totally shut down. If he had been, he never would have rebooted, but only his most vital systems had continued to run while his body slowly repaired itself. It was possible that whatever program inside of him that was counting down to his death hadn't clocked any time while he had been in that state.

Balrog watched Quote's reaction, and wished he hadn't said anything. He didn't want to make things worse, but at the same time, it was an important consideration.

"Why? Why would they build us to die like this? What's the damn point?" Quote's voice rose as he spoke, distressed and angry. Balrog didn't have an answer for him. Quote, done speaking, turned to kick the wall petulantly before crouching back down and continuing to sulk.

The cabin was quiet for a long time, save for the sounds of rain drumming on the roof. Balrog didn't know what to do or say, and Quote still didn't feel much like talking anymore, anyway.

A sudden crash of thunder made Quote jump, before he scrambled back into his corner to cringe in alarm. His fear was in part a programmed response, since a lightning strike could destroy him, but it was mostly due to his battle with Misery. Though the witch's magic bolts weren't nearly as powerful, he had developed a severe distaste for being struck.

The little robot trembled and started to cry for Curly like a child crying for a favourite toy that had been lost. She too had been afraid of lightning, and on many a blustery night, the two used to huddle together as they sheltered from the storm.

Balrog couldn't just leave Quote like that so he carefully approached the distressed robot until he was close enough to tap him on the shoulder. Quote jumped slightly at the touch, and stared at Balrog for a short time, before allowing the big box to wrap a wing around him, hugging him as best he could.

Quote shivered against Balrog's side as the storm continued to howl outside. The boxy creature could hear him crying about something, but the only word he could make out was Curly's name. All he could do was keep hugging him, knowing it would be a long time yet before Quote would be able to bear the pain.

X X X

"Hey, Balrog! Do you think you could give me a hand for a moment?"

"Yeah, okay." The oversized toaster trundled over to where Quote was struggling to hold a board to the cabin wall and nail it in at the same time. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just hold this here for a moment." Quote pointed to a spot and Balrog extended a wing to hold the board as the little robot hammered it quickly into place. Once he was finished, the two stood back and Quote inspected his work.

"Great, that should take care of that draft. Thanks, Balrog." Quote smiled and gave him a pat on the side.

It had been months before Quote had recovered enough from Curly's loss to be able to get back to his previous routine. He had never truly gotten over her, but that was to be expected. He had gotten into the habit of visiting her grave at least once a day, and at least once a week he would leave flowers Balrog trimmed for him from the last garden she had helped plant.

Several years had passed since Curly's death, and though Quote seemed to have forgotten about the possibility of having the same system as she had, Balrog hadn't. He had been waiting for years, hoping nothing would happen, and yet… If something did, this would be the year. He didn't know what he would do if Quote died, too…

The robot in question finished cleaning up his tools before turning to Balrog again. "I'm gonna go take some flowers to Curly now. Want to come?"

Balrog never accepted Quote's offer, not since the little robot had recovered enough to see her without falling apart, but Quote continued to ask. It had become something of a tradition.

"No, it's okay. I've already gone to see her today." It was the truth, and Quote had been expecting it. He just smiled.

"Well, I'll see you later, then." He took up the flowers Balrog had prepared for him earlier, and with a wave, turned and ran off, headed towards Curly's tree. It only took him a couple moments to get there, and once he did, he set the bouquet on the mound of grass, along with the ones from the weeks before that still looked somewhat presentable. The grave itself Quote had marked with the Iron Bond. It had seemed like a good use for it to him.

He sighed as he sat, leaning his back against another tree next to the one Curly rested beneath. He smiled ruefully at her grave, pulling his knees to his chest.

"Hi, Curly. It's me again, but I'm sure you knew that. I still miss you…"

No answer was forthcoming from the silent earth, but Quote hadn't really been expecting one. The wind merely rustled the flora.

"I fixed that draft Balrog had been complaining about today. It wasn't that difficult. Took five minutes." He paused to chuckle to himself. "I'm sure you don't really care about that… There is something important I wanted to tell you, though…"

Quote fell silent for a moment, and glanced around, making sure Balrog was nowhere within earshot. Once he was satisfied, he continued. "I… I think I'm dying now, too… I could just… tell, when I woke up this morning. I can feel myself running down."

He sighed again, and pulled his knees further into his chest, leaning forward to rest his chin on top of them. "I don't want to leave Balrog like this. It's not fair. But… if I can see you again for real, in whatever kind of afterlife we robots may have… Is it right for me to want to die like this?"

Again there was no reply. Quote hadn't been counting on divine intervention to solve his problems anyway. With one last sigh, he stood and placed a hand on the Iron Bond. "There isn't anything I can do about this, anyway… I guess I'll be seeing you soon… one way or the other."

He turned then, and headed back to the cabin.

X X X

Balrog was the first one up the next morning. He didn't want to disturb Quote, who was still sleeping, but it seemed a little odd that he wasn't already up. The little robot tended to be awake long before Balrog, since his sleep cycles were usually regulated. It worried him, but he hoped there was a simple solution, such as Quote deciding to sleep longer, or gone to bed later.

Balrog left the cabin and headed to visit Curly's grave. He usually did every morning, since Quote tended to go in the afternoons. He never really talked to her, since most of the time; he never knew what to say. What could he? 'Sorry you're dead, see you soon?'

He didn't stay long, just long enough to plant a small seed in the garden he had started next to her resting place. He had planted a different kind of plant each year to mark the time that had gone by since she had passed. There were ten different flowers growing now.

Once he was done that, he took a moment to organize the bouquets Quote had left before heading back. When he arrived, he found Quote awake and sitting up in bed.

"Hey, you sleep in?" Balrog asked, attempting to sound cheerful.

Quote didn't reply right away, and wouldn't meet his gaze. "Yeah… Balrog? There's something I need to tell you…"

The boxy creature didn't like the sound of that; it usually meant something was wrong. "What's that?"

"Well… you remember that time when we talked about the possibly of me having the same system as Curly? I… I think it's activated…"

Balrog sighed. "I thought you'd forgotten about that, but honestly, I'm not surprised. I've been waiting for this to happen… Sorry."

"It's okay. I've been expecting it, too…"

The two fell silent. Each of them had things they wanted to say, questions to ask, but neither of them knew where to begin. It was Quote who broke the silence first. "If you don't mind my asking… what do you think you'll do once I'm gone?"

"I don't know. I never really thought about it," replied Balrog. It wasn't completely true, he had thought about it before, but whenever he would find himself doing it, he would push the thoughts aside. He didn't want to worry about it because he didn't know if it was actually going to happen. And despite thinking about it, he had never decided anything.

Quote scratched at the back of his neck before lying back down. He seemed somewhat embarrassed, though more so just tired. "I shouldn't have asked that. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it. Um…" Balrog trailed off, trying to find a way to phrase his next question without sounding insensitive. "I… um… I don't know how to ask this… How long-?"

"Another day, at most." Quote cut the big box off, knowing what he wanted. Even if he hadn't been asked, he meant to mention it. "But honestly… I don't think I'm going to last to the end of this day…"

An awkward silence fell again. It was hard to know what to say in a situation like this, and for Quote and Balrog, it was even more difficult. Quote had never been that talkative to begin with, and despite everything Balrog had had to do under orders from his masters over the years, he still didn't like death.

"Would you like me to leave you alone?"

Quote's eyes snapped wide at the question and he looked up at Balrog. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to, but… please don't go?" He was scared. He didn't want to die, even less so alone. Though earlier he had wanted to join Curly in whatever kind of afterlife robots may have, he honestly didn't believe such a thing really existed. He wanted to, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. And now that he was dying, he was afraid of what was to come, if anything. What would it be like to just cease to exist? Would he even notice?

Balrog didn't know what to do. He had experienced enough death over the years; he really didn't want to watch his last living friend fade away. At the same time, he couldn't just leave him, especially when Quote seemed so frightened.

With a sigh, the boxy creature trundled over to the little robot's side and settled there. "I'm here. I won't leave."

"Thanks, Balrog."

"Though, if you want to talk, I… don't really have much to say."

"That's okay, you don't have to say anything. Just… stay with me until the end…"

Balrog nodded in response and Quote smiled as he closed his eyes. He felt so tired…

X X X

Balrog buried Quote next to Curly that evening. He didn't have anything special like the Iron Bond to mark the site with, so he set the Spur as a marker. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do.

He hadn't even noticed when Quote died. He had though the little bot had fallen asleep, but after a few moments he had realised that Quote was no longer breathing. After that realisation, it had been a long while before Balrog was able to do anything at all.

He didn't cry. It wasn't that he didn't feel like it, he just couldn't. It had been a long, long time since he had last been able to. His friends deserved some sort of show of emotion, but Balrog wasn't able to do it. The boxy creature stared at the twin graves for several moments before doing anything at all. "I hope wherever you two are, you're happy…"

He turned and walked away, heading back to the cabin for the time being. He didn't know what to do with himself now, or if he was even going to stay. There was nothing left for him here anymore, but he didn't have anywhere else to go. He could return to the island, but who would be willing to take him in? Misery would probably just turn him into a frog or something worse if he saw her again. Plus, he didn't want to just leave Quote and Curly behind to be forgotten. They didn't deserve that.

He didn't have to decide anything right away, however. He would come up with something in the morning.

X X X

By noon the next day Balrog had figured out what he was going to do. He still wasn't totally happy with his choice, but it seemed like the best thing he could do.

"Hey guys," he said. As expected, he received no answer from the graves, so he continued. "I… just wanted to let you know what I've decided to do. …I'm going back to the island. Don't worry; I'll come to visit. I won't forget you…"

He didn't have anything worth keeping at the cabin, so he merely walked out into the dell, spread his wings and leapt into the air. Wings beating hard, Balrog flew up and away from the clearing, away from the final resting places of Quote and Curly.

The End