Disclaimer: I don't own the Underland Chronicles.

"What?" Gregor was still with shock, then after what felt like a million years, he started laughing unsteadily. "Don't joke like that, Mrs. Cormaci. You scared me there for a second!"

"Gregor… I'm sorry, but it's not a joke." Mrs. Cormaci placed a hand on Gregor's shoulder and gave him a comforting pat.

She led Gregor to the sofa and sat him down and left, returning a few minutes later with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. "Here, you might feel better."

Gregor took a cookie and placed it in his mouth, his body chewing on its own accord. The cookie was dry, tasting of sawdust and metal in his mouth.

Suddenly, a loud slam was heard and Mrs. Cormaci, followed by Gregor, ran towards the door, peering outside to see what was happening. "That's it!" A man shouted, pulling a suitcase with a large duffel bag slung on its handle behind him with one hand and balancing a few worn cardboard boxes with the other. A woman with a little girl in tow followed behind him quickly. "Mr. Brown, where are you heading?" Mrs. Cormaci asked.

"Away from here, that's where. Ever since we've moved here last week, it's been nothing but scratches and cheeps and loud bangs from behind the wall. Can't sleep, can't concentrate, can't do anything!" He gave the suitcase a rough tug and it tumbled down the few stairs it had been stuck on. "We're leaving here, and you can tell the landlord he needs to hire a exterminator! There are rats and mice between the walls, and cockroaches have been around all the time this past week. Scares the life out of my poor wife it does!" Mr. Brown was red in the face and a small line of drool trickled out of the side of his mouth: the result of his rant.

Mr. Brown, extremely unhappy, left. But he left behind a bright-eyed, happy Gregor.

Gregor turned to Mrs. Cormaci. "This is perfect!"

"Hm? What's perfect?"

"Well, obviously, the scratching are the nibblers and the gnawers and the roaches coming up… they're telling me to go back down!"

"Are you sure, Gregor? They might be normal rats and mice."

"C'mon Mrs. Cormaci, I have to try. And they've just left! It's perfect!"

Mrs. Cormaci tutted disapprovingly. "You shouldn't be so happy, that family just left their home!" But Gregor could see the faintest of smiles on her lips. "But, yes, you might as well go try. Might as well not waste a good opportunity."

Gregor's already-wide smile widened even more.

~~~~~GxL~~~~~

Mr. Brown had left the door of his apartment wide open when he had left with his family, but, still, it felt to Gregor as if he was intruding. "Sorry," he muttered before he shoved an old couch to the side, his excitement mounting. Gregor pushed the grating and then looked into the dark hole, disappointment surging through him immediately. There was just a small hole, no drop or anything. He swallowed the huge lump in his throat and got back up.

"Well?" Mrs. Cormaci demanded as he entered her apartment again. "Are you going?"

Gregor shook his head. "The grating… behind the grating's just a normal hole, now." His voice cracked and he bit his lip, rushing out of the apartment.

~~~~~GxL~~~~~

The next morning, a bleary Sunday morning, came swiftly and quietly and throughout the house, only one person was awake: Gregor.

He had made himself a cup of hot chocolate, and was now staring out the window, hands cupped around the warm drink. Thoughts were running wild around his head and the sweet drink soothed him. I should apologize to Mrs. Cormaci for running off like that, he thought. Gregor sighed and grabbed the house keys from the coffee table and pulled his thickest coat on. He quickly scribbled a note for his parents and left, closing the door carefully behind him.

He walked back to the park first; hoping something – anything – had been left there by the Underlanders to help him. But there was nothing but the frozen slab of rock. Gregor sighed in frustration and turned to walk back to Mrs. Cormaci's.