Author's Note: I own nothing. That's not technically true, but I mean it in the sense I own nothing relating to Gregor the Overlander and it's subsequent installments. Bragging rights for ownership of those belong to Suzanne Collins. That is all.

I

There were so many ways to die.

At times it seemed like anything you did would kill you. Gregor had been in plenty of situations like that. He had faced everything from giant rats to man-eating plants. As far as nasty and painful ways of dying went, Gregor had dealt with quite a few of them. On the other hand, however, there were other ways of dying he had not encountered. For example, he had never been in a position where his mother would strangle him.

Actually, Gregor thought as he walked across the deserted street, she would probably do something worse. Like lock him in his room for all eternity, human contact be damned. Yeah, there were probably things worse than death.

Boredom was one of those things. Another was restlessness. Gregor had been plagued with both for a six solid months. It wasn't from lack of activity though. Gregor's family had moved just two short moths after the 'Laundry Room Incident' had drawn to a close. New York City to middle-of-nowhere Virginia. Whoop-dee-doo. Gregor had gotten firsthand experience with living on a farm, driving half and hour to get to school, and what he considered southern accents. His parents acted like it was a new leaf, a brand-spanking-new opportunity to start over from the craziness that had kept a stranglehold on their family for years. Unfortunately, Gregor had come to expect craziness as the norm. As had Boots. Even Lizzie felt that their parents' hopes of starting over were misguided.

Gregor sort rode on autopilot for the four months they lived there. He went about 'normal' life quietly and without any real attempts to settle in. He just kept to himself. The quiet kid. The new one that just moved in from the big city. Distant and detached. That pretty much described Gregor…

Boots, being Boots, made friends within hours of their arrival, and all in all was not affected by the move. She made passing references to "Temp, her bug friend,' and 'Flying with the bats,' in conversation with grown-ups and kids alike acting like these sort of things were to be expected. When any adults asked Gregor's parents about it, they just shrugged vaguely and mentioned the active imagination of the childhood mind.

Lizzie succumbed to panic attacks more often. It soon became apparent that they were not for the old reasons, however. One night she was worried Ripred may not survive. Another day during World History, she started stressing out because she was worried that the Underland may not learn from their mistakes and plunge into another war. As time wore on, Lizzie became more and more prone to breaking down several times a day.

All in all, Virginia was not the saving grace that Gregor's parents (especially his mom) had hoped for. Gregor's father got in touch with the high school he used to teach at in New York City, and preparations were soon made to return home, much to everyone's relief. Gregor's grandma stayed in Virginia with some relatives better equipped to handle her, and just as quickly as they arrived, Gregor and his family left.

It was four days after their return that Gregor was walking the streets at night. He was allegedly at Larry's house to sleepover to celebrate Gregor's return, but that was not the truth. Gregor had just wanted out.

The new apartment was larger than the old one. Boots had spent the past few days begging whoever was nearby to play hid-and-go-seek with her. She instantly fell in love with their balcony, and loved to wave at people as they passed underneath. Lizzie too felt more secure, and Gregor suspected it had more to do with being close to Ripred than she would admit. Gregor's father was euphoric that his Underland illness had cleared up smoothly, and he was incredibly enthusiastic about regaining his old job at last, and Grace (Gregor's mother), was just happy that everyone else was happy. Gregor had to agree with Lizzie. It was much better to be connected in some way to the Underland, despite all the pain associated with the place.

Gregor had reached Central Park. The April night was pleasant, and a playful breeze swept through as dusk began to creep out in earnest. Gregor took a deep breath and couldn't help but smile.

Now matter how bad it was, life was wonderful.

He had set out without a clear destination in mind, but as he walked the lonely streets a plan had begun to form in his head. A plan that made him think about just how far his mother would go with punishment if she found out.

Gregor was going back to the Underland.

He didn't want to see anyone. He didn't want to talk. He just wanted to, well, remember. Nobody would ever know. There was no reason to think that he would be punished if his mom never found out. Gregor couldn't help but grin as he started to roll the enormous boulder aside. With an unwilling crunch, the large rock shifted to reveal a staircase. A staircase down into the bowels of the earth below New York City. Before he took his first step, he paused. A strange feeling engulfed him, so powerful it threatened to overwhelm him. He didn't know what it was at first, but as he stepped on the first stair step, he knew what it was.

Gregor felt like he was truly going home.