A/N: I based this story on a BatIM 2D Bendy AU by Shinyzango on Tumblr. Check their work out!

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

Family Ties

Part 1

It was hard for Henry to keep his eyes on the road with a hyper living cartoon sitting in the passenger's seat. He was being bombarded by questions during the whole trip. He was taking Bendy to meet his sister and her family for the first time. The toon was practically bouncing in his seat. Henry had to admit, the little toon made the ten hour drive bearable.

Henry made sure to tell his little sister about Bendy so that she wouldn't be surprised when they meet. He even planned it so they could spend the weekend with her so she could get to know the little toon better. He got the feeling she didn't completely believe him. He just hoped she wouldn't react too badly and give Bendy a chance.

Within a few minutes Henry was pulling into the driveway of a large farmhouse. He reached in the backseat and pulled out a large duffle bag. He got out of the car and waited for the toon to jump out as well. He noticed that Bendy grew quiet and he kept shooting nervous glances at the house.

"What's the matter buddy?" He could see Bendy wringing his gloved hands together.

"Do you think she'll like me?" Henry gave him a reassuring smile.

"Of course she will. What's not to like?" he chuckled. "Just be yourself and everything will be fine." Bendy smiled and got out of the car.

They began walking towards the front door when it flew open. A woman in a powder blue sun dress was standing in the doorway. Bendy noticed she had the same light brown hair and eyes as Henry. She was maybe a head shorter than his friend and her hair was longer, curling in bouncy ringlets around her face. She had a huge grin on her face.

"It's about time you got here!" She put her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you were drivin' like a old man all the way here?!" Henry chuckled and continued up the walkway. The woman practically ran down the steps and launched herself at the man. Henry dropped his bag before wrapping his arms around her and spun her around. Her feet were dangling off the ground and they were both laughing.

"I'm glad you're here old man." She smirked and reached up to run her fingers through the patch of white hair on his head.

"Heh, it's good to see you too June-Bug. And I'm not that old!" They both laughed and he hugged her tighter.

Bendy stood back a bit and watched everything unfold. Henry was so happy. He'd seen him smile before but not like this. He was relaxed and even though his sister took pot shots at his age, he didn't seem to mind. He tilted his head when he heard tiny footsteps running towards the doorway.

"Uncle Henry!" Two little girls dashed out of the house and nearly tackled him. He laughed and managed to scoop both girls up into his arms.

"Okay, now I feel old. Look at you two! You're both getting so big!" He hugged them both and the girls giggled. After a few seconds he set them both down on the ground. It was then that both girls noticed Bendy standing in the middle of the walkway. They both looked up at their uncle with a questioning gaze. He gave them a slight nod. They left his side and walked up to the toon.

They studied each other for a moment before the toon held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Bendy!"

"Hi! I'm Sarah, nice to meet you!" The shorter of the two girls reached out and shook his hand. He noticed she had dark brown hair done up in pigtails and brown eyes. If he had to guess, she was the younger of the two. She let go of his hand only for the other girl to shake it.

"Hi, I'm Bethany, but you can call me Beth. I'm her big sister." Beth was just a little taller than him. She had the same light brown hair as Henry done up in a ponytail. He noticed she had olive colored eyes.

Sarah reached out and took his arm. She ran her little fingers across it and looked up at him with wide eyes. "You're real! Really real!" She said with a giggle.

Beth reached out and touched one of his horns. "Are you really a toon like Uncle Henry said?"

"Yup! I'm a living, breathing, honest to gosh toon!" Bendy twirled on the tip of his toes and did a quick little tap dance that made the girls laugh. Soon they were hitting each other with questions.

"Well, that went better than I expected." Henry chuckled. He knew his nieces would take to Bendy immediately. It was his sister he was worried about. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her shaking her head.

"You know, I honestly didn't believe you when you told me about him. I thought you were pullin' my leg." She playfully punched him in the arm. "I guess you're not crazy after all." She smirked. June watched as her daughters laughed at the toon's antics. She wasn't sure if she trusted him just yet, but she promised her brother she'd give him a chance.

Henry and June made their way over to the little group. June got the little toon's attention so she could introduce herself.

"Hello there Bendy, I'm June." She thrusts her thumb in Henry's direction. "I'm his little sister." He held out his gloved hand and June shook it. "Nice to meet you Mrs. June!" He had such a cute smile on his face, it made June laugh.

"Alright, come on in. You're not going to spend the whole weekend standing out here!" The girls grabbed Bendy's hands and practically dragged him into the house. Henry knew how strong Bendy was, but the poor toon was no match for too over enthusiastic girls. He chuckled and followed everyone into the house.

While inside, the girls were showing Bendy the family photos that lined the walls. They even dug out a large photo album. All three sat on the couch and the girls pointed out the funny costumes they wore for Halloween or group photos they took during family vacations.

Henry and June left the kids to their own devices and headed into the kitchen. Henry watched as his sister putted around and pulled out various stuff he assumed she would be cooking for dinner.

"So, where's Jason?" He pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down. He could see a soft smile cross June's face.

"Out of town. You know how it is with truck drivers." She pulled some meat from the frig and some pasta from a cabinet. "He really wanted to be here too. He wanted to see if you lost your mind or not."

"Geez! If I didn't know better, I'd swear you guys had no faith in me." Henry playfully hurt look and it made June laugh.

"Hahaha Sorry bro. It's just that… a living cartoon demon was a little hard to believe." She waved her hand towards the living room. "And yet, there he is! Unbelievable." she chuckled and shook her head. She put a large pot full of water on the stove.

"Believe me, the first time we met, I couldn't believe it either. He's a good guy and he keeps me on my toes." June noticed the smile on her brother's face when he talked about the toon. It was the kind of smile that a proud parent gets when talking about their child.

"The girls have certainly taken a likin' to him." June washed her hands before grabbing a bowl and dumping the ground meat into it. She added an egg, some bread crumbs and various seasonings. She began mixing it all together with her hands.

"Bendy is pretty good with children. The neighborhood kids love him." Henry ran his fingers through his hair. "Some of the adults are beginning to warm up to him." June noticed the slight hesitation in his voice when mentioning the adults. She guessed that some of the people had a problem with a demon, even a cartoon one, playing with their kids. She sighs softly.

"You're not getting too stressed out about all of this?"

Henry shook his head. "Nah. I've had to set a few people straight but things are finally quieting down."

Just then Beth and Sarah ran into the kitchen with Bendy in tow. They asked if they could play in the backyard. June told them they could until dinner was done. The little group ran out the back door.

"Henry can you do me a favor and keep an eye on them?" He got up from the table and headed for the door. "No problem sis."

An hour later, June called everyone into the house. She told the girls and Bendy to wash their hands. When they were done, she handed the little group various plates and glasses and asked them to set the table.

Henry leaned against the doorway and watched as the girls showed Bendy where to place the silverware, plates, bowls, and glasses. The kitchen was full of laughter and it warmed something deep within his chest. The little toon had the biggest smile on his face. He even caught his sister reaching down and ruffling her fingers between his horns once and awhile.

Soon the table was set. A huge bowl full of salad was placed in the middle with a bowl of pasta and other with meatballs floating in spaghetti sauce were set on either side. June waited for everyone to settle down before passing the bowls around the table.

"Mmmm, this all smells really good Mrs. June!" She smiled and thanked him.

"Hey Bendy?" The toon turned to Sarah with a questioning look. The little girl reached out and poked him in the face where his nose should be. His black eyes crossed comically and Sarah laughed.

"Umm, how do you smell without a nose?" The question caught him off guard for just a second before a cheeky grin crossed his face.

"Well, I think I smell pretty darn good if you ask me!" The table was quiet for five seconds before Henry made a small choking sound because his mouth was full of food. It was hard not to spit his food out from laughter.

"Hahaha oh Bendy you didn't just say that!" June and Beth were laughing.

The little toon looked very proud of himself. Sarah was looking around the table a little confused.

"I don't get it. What's so funny?" That question, asked so innocently, caused everyone to suffer another bout of laughter. June waved her hand and told Sarah she would tell her later. The little girl pouted and poked at her food. She wanted to know now! It took the others a few more seconds to get the giggles under control so they could eat.

After everyone had their fill, they just sat at the table. The kids listened as the adults told them stories of when they were young.

"So after my date, my boyfriend decided he wanted more than just a kiss on the cheek." June was sitting back in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest. "He figured that since dad was out of town, he'd get a little fresh with me." The little girls giggles and Bendy was completely into the story.

"He walked me to my door and I leaned in to give him a goodnight kiss on the cheek." She waved her hand. "Well, he wanted more and grabbed me. I told him "No!" and was struggling with him, trying to get him to let go."

"What happened next?" Bendy's eyes were practically shining and it made June laugh.

"Well, the front door flew open and-" she pointed towards Henry. "Big bro here grabs the guy by the shoulders, spins him around, and picked him up by his collar. Henry was so angry, the look he gave the guy almost made him pee his pants! He pushed him down the steps and told him not to come back." The kids turned to look at him with awe in their eyes.

Henry was scratching the back of his head and a light blush dusting his cheeks. "There was no way I was going to let some jerk hurt my little sister. Dad always taught us to look after one another." The girls cheered and Bendy realized that Henry was always pretty tough, even when he was young.

June clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Who's ready for dessert!?" There was a chorus of "Me's!" and laughter from Henry. June got up and grabbed a few small plates from the cabinet. She placed them around a cake dish that held a lemon cake with vanilla icing drizzled on top. She cut a few slices, placed them on the plate, and handed it to everyone at the table. Everyone thanked her then dug into the sweet treat. No one spoke after that. There was the occasional giggle as the girls watched Bendy try to stuff half the cake in his mouth. June shook her head and told him to take his time to enjoy it… and to use a fork!

After everyone was done, June told the kids to grab a board game and play in the living room. They ran out of the kitchen just as Henry offered to help her clear the table of dishes.

Dishes done, the adults join the kids in the living room. Beth had an interesting game of Sorry going with Bendy and Sarah yelling every time someone was able to jump over the other's piece. It was quite amusing and surprising to see how competitive the kids had gotten in such a short amount of time. It was all in good fun though.

Soon it was starting to get late. June told Henry and Bendy that she had a room made up for them. That was until the girls put their two cents in.

"Mom, Bendy can sleep in our room!" Beth declared with Sarah nodding her head vigorously.

June looked a little uncomfortable with that. "Gee girls, I dunno…"

"Pleeease! It'll be just like the sleepovers we have with our friends!" Sarah was hitting her with the big puppy dog eyes. Soon Beth was doing the same thing. The girls played to their mother's weakness when they started to pout, making their bottom lip wobble.

"Umm…" June felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Henry was giving her a warm smile and telling her that it'll be fine. She sighed and caved. The girls cheered, grabbed Bendy by both hands and practically dragged the stunned toon up the stairs.

"I think the girls are growing attached to him." Henry said with a chuckle as he went to pick up his bag.

"Hah, you'll be lucky if they let you take him home by the time this weekend is up!" June had waved for Henry to follow her up the steps. She pointed to the guess room she had set up for him. As they moved down the hall, they decided to peak in on the kids.

Surprisingly the girls were already in their night gowns. They had grabbed every single pillow and laid them on the floor between the girls' beds. Beth had grabbed a large sheet and draped it from one bed to the other to create a makeshift tent. Sarah grabbed a flashlight and a book and crawled into the pillowy shelter. Bendy followed her while Beth ran to turn off the lights. She joined them and they ended up laying on their stomachs. The toon was in the middle of a little girl sandwich and he couldn't be happier. Sarah passed him the picture book while she turned on the flashlight. She directed the beam of light over the pages and pointed out a few things. Soon the girls had their heads resting on each of the toon's shoulders as they listened to him read in hushed tones.

Henry watched all of this go down within fifteen minutes. He was impressed. There was a small flash, a click, and a whirl that came from behind him. He turned to see his sister with a Polaroid camera in hand. The film had slid out of the slot and she was waving it to get it to dry and develop quicker.

"This is definitely going in the family album." Henry laughed and asked if she could take another. She did so happily and handed him the film. He thanked her and headed for the guest room. He told his sister he'd give the little group another twenty minutes before they all passed out. She laughed and agreed wit him. The bid each other goodnight and went to their respective rooms.

The Next Morning.

June walked slowly down the hall. She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She needed coffee or she wouldn't be able to function for the rest of the morning. The came up to the girls' room and looked in on them. Arms and legs were thrown all over with each girls' arm draped over the little toon while he was curled up on his side. Honestly, it looked like a cute puppy pile. It made June go back to her room to get her camera. One picture later, she was making her way downstairs.

She put the camera on the counter before filling the coffee pot with water. She added some grounds to the brewer and started it up. Within ten minutes, the delicious smell of coffee filled the air. She grabbed two mugs and waited.

She heard heavy footsteps making their way down the stairs. Henry had walked into the kitchen with one eye open and running his fingers through the white patch of hair on his head. She handed him a mug and he headed straight for the coffee pot. Once their cups were filled with their respective brews, they sat at the kitchen table. After a few sips, they felt awake enough to carry on a conversation that consisted of more than just half hearted grunts and nods.

"So, what do you have planned for today June-Bug?"

"Well, how about we head for the lake today?" A worried look crossed Henry's face. June held up her hand to interrupt anything he might say. "Don't worry. We're not going swimming. I remember what you told me about Bendy and water."

Henry looked genuinely surprised. June laughed and smirked playfully. "Look bro, just because I didn't believe you, doesn't mean I wasn't listening to you." She pointed to the frig. "I was thinking of having a picnic out there. There are swings set up close by and the girls can bring a few things to keep them occupied. It's just too bad you didn't bring a fishing rod with ya."

"Heh yeah. Maybe next time." She punches him playfully in the upper arm. "Hey!"

"There'd better be a 'next time' old man!" She smiled but in a quieter voice, "You've been away too long." He gives her a one arm hug and promises to come back more often.

"Okay bro, time to start breakfast! How does hotcakes, eggs, and bacon sound?" June got up and started pulling out what she needed to make batter.

"Sounds good to me. But let me cook the eggs. You always burn them." She shot him a hot glare that made him laugh. "I do not!" He was already cracking a few eggs in a bowl and adding butter, cheese and a little salt.

"Uh huh, remember when we tried to make mom breakfast for Mother's Day?" June shuddered at the memory. The eggs were a burn mess. The kitchen was full of smoke. Their mom thought there was a fire in the house and nearly called for the fire department. "Okay, okay, that could have gone better."

"And Dad's birthday?" He smirked when she pouted and stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh shut up and make the darn eggs!" They both laughed and got to work.

Soon the kitchen was awash in mouth watering smells. June was piling hotcakes on a large plate while strips of bacon were sizzling in a large pan. Henry was scrambling the eggs in another pan and was reaching for a large bowl to put it in. Butter and syrup were already set up on the table along with a pitcher of orange juice.

"I bet you five bucks the smell alone with send them downstairs." Henry just shook his head. "No way I'm taking that bet. Bendy is a fiend when it comes to bacon. That alone will send him running."

The table was all. All they needed was for the sleepyheads to get their butts up. Henry volunteered to call them down. He made it to the bottom of the steps when he heard the patter of bare feet. "Girls?"

Beth and Sarah came running down the stairs. They were giggling for some reason. They gave Henry a hug before rushing off to the kitchen. 'Huh, that's strange.' Soon he heard the tapping of shoes on the hardwood floors. Bendy was coming down the stairs. He was rubbing his eye with the back of his hand and sniffing the air. "Mmm bacon…"

When the toon was able to focus, he noticed Henry standing there. "G'mornin' Henry!" The man didn't say anything for a few seconds and was staring at him funny. "What's the matter?"

"Um Bendy? I think you need to look in the mirror *snickers*." He pointed to the full length mirror that was hanging on the back of the closet near the front door. The little toon did as he asked. He stared into the mirror and froze. He had two big pink bows tied to each of his horns. The ends were long and hanging down past his shoulders.

"Wha- where did these come from!?" He reached up and tugged at one of the bows. It was tied pretty tight. He heard another snicker from Henry.

"Boy, those girls got it honest from their mother." The man walked up to the toon and knelt behind him. He grabbed his shoulders and turned him so he could get a good look at the bows. He just shook his head. "I can't tell you how many times I woke up to my hair in pigtails or braids or anything that fancied my little sister at that time."

Bendy laughed and told Henry he couldn't picture him with pigtails. Henry had a small smile on his face as he tried to undo the knots the bows formed. There was a flash, click and whirl. Both man and toon turned slowly towards the sound and found June standing in the kitchen archway. She had a camera in hand and two giggling girls hiding behind her legs.

"Oh no." Henry groaned and Bendy looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Now THIS-" she was waving the film in her hand, "is going into the family album." She chuckled. She told them to come and eat while the food was still hot. She promised to help Henry with the bows after they were done.

The girls thought the toon might be angry when he sat at the table. But he wasn't. If anything, he was impressed that they managed to pull off such a simple prank. Plus there was a huge stack of bacon on the table and that always improved his mood.

Breakfast went by with soft giggles and hums of appreciation from everyone at the table. When they were done, June told the kids they were heading to the lake. The girls cheered and ran up the stairs to get dressed. June managed to untie the bows from Bendy's horns before the little toon dashed up the stairs. Both adults just laughed and followed the kids as well.

An hour later, June was preparing sandwiches and other snacks to put in the picnic basket. Henry was filling a cooler with ice and several bottles of pop. The kids were in the living room. They were stuffing jump ropes, balls, and other things in their little backpacks. Soon the group was ready and heading out the back door.

"So, where is the lake?" Bendy asked. He was a little nervous. Water and him didn't mix very well.

"See those of trees over there?" June pointed to a line of trees at the end of their yard. "The lake is a ten minute walk just passed them. And don't worry, no one is swimming today." She smiled and patted him on the head.

Bendy was surprised to find a forest just passed the tree line. The air was full of the sweet smell of wild flowers and maple trees. Every once and awhile the girls would direct his attention to a colorful butterfly flittering by or strange mushrooms that grew on the base of trees. It honestly felt like they were explorers on a grand adventure. A quest to get to a mysterious lake! Their laughter echoed throughout the otherwise quiet forest.

They followed a well worn trail until they came to the lake. The surface of the water was still and it shimmered like glass in the sunlight. There was a picnic table set up a few feet away from the lake's edge. A huge tree with a tire swing stood a little closer to the water. The group placed their various bags, baskets and the cooler on the table before the kids ran for the swing.

The tire was secured to the tree with three thick ropes. The tire itself was huge, big enough to hold three children at once! Beth, Sarah, and Bendy climbed on and begged Henry to give them a push. He told them to hold on as she grabbed the ropes and pulled the whole thing back. He let go then gave them a few good pushes. The little group cheered as they swung higher and higher. Soon they were so high, they could see the clear water under their feet.

June already had her camera out and was taking a few pictures. She was going to make sure Henry took some home with him as well.

As the morning faded into afternoon, the girls got out their ropes and were currently trying to teach Bendy how to jump Double Dutch. They weren't quite sure how he ended up with the ropes tangled up on his feet and sometimes his whole body half the time, but it was funny. Their uncle would just shrug and say it was a toon thing.

They took a break from the toon's unintentional shenanigans to have lunch. Bendy was regaling the girls with stories of his adventures with Boris and Alice on the big screen. Beth and Sarah laughed at the funny gags Bendy set up.

Henry remembered story boarding and animating some of that. Those were good times, back when they were running around like chickens with their heads cut off to meet a rapidly approaching deadline. Back before everything went so wrong. It was a sobering thought that made his smile slip just a bit. He wasn't surprised when June reached out to squeeze his hand.

"You okay?" He could hear the concern in her voice. He told her a little bit of what happened when he returned to the studio, but not everything. Some things were still hard to talk about.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just reminiscin'."

"Uh huh. Old people tend to do that a lot." June laughed when he shot her an incredulous look. "I'm not that old!' She watched as his glare morphed into something softer and he began to laugh as well.

After lunch, Henry took the kids to the edge of the lake where he tried to teach them how to skip stones. It went about as well as he expected with the kids picking stones that were too big or too round. The results was big splashes and a lot of laughs. June joined them, picking up an oval shaped stone, and with the right flick of her wrist sent the stone skipping across the still water three times. The kids were amazed and June told them that Henry taught her how to skip stones when she was about Beth's age.

Afterwards, the kids were trying to catch frogs. The adults sat back and watched with amusement as the slippery suckers just managed to evade tiny hands. Bendy had an easier time of it since he was quicker and his gloved hands were bigger. He held the frog gently as the girls giggle and ran their little fingers over its slick head. They tried to keep it but June would have none of it. Even the power of the puppy dog eyes didn't sway her and they had to let it go.

Things got a little scary when Sarah found a snake. Her screams alerted everyone that something was wrong. She was frozen in fear with a three foot long snake slithered out of the bushes. Henry reached her first. He took one look at the snake and relaxed. He picked Sarah up in his arms and backed away from the snake. The rest of the group came running up to them and asking if she was alright.

"It's alright. The snake was just minding its own business. It turned out to be a harmless King Snake." June sighed in relief. She was rubbing her daughter's back while Henry held her.

"King Snake?" Beth and Bendy looked to the adults for an explanation.

"King Snakes are not venomous and they eat other snakes."

"How could you tell what it was?" Bendy was looking back at the bushes to see if he could spot the snake.

"There is this little rhyme mom and dad made us remember when we were little." June held up two fingers. "Red to black, friend of Jack. Red to yellow, kills a fellow. Most King snakes are red with black bands around their bodies." The group walked over to the picnic table and Henry set Sarah down in the seat. By this time she was calm even if her eyes were a little watery.

Beth pulled out a deck of cards and suggested they all play Go Fish. The adults had no problem with that. After a few rounds they were laughing so much, the incident with the snake was all but forgotten.

Henry was glad that everything was going smoothly but he should have remembered Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will.

To Be Concluded.