True to his word, Ford comes back the next morning and sits in front of Bill's chamber with his journal in hand.

The two talk for hours, more of Ford talking and Bill listening which he was eating up, listening to everything that left the man's mouth and hanging on each and every word.

Ford tells him about this creature that him and his great nephew studied today, holding up the journal so Bill could see the drawing he drew of it.

"Was it dangerous?" Bill asks, looking at the claws the thing had but Ford shakes his head.

"If it were, I wouldn't have brought one of the kids along with me." Ford tells him and sets his journal down on the counter the chamber was bolted on, sitting back in his chair.

"What if it was?"

"What do you mean?" Ford crosses one leg over the other and rests his hands on his knee, looking at Bill with a questioning look. "I know it wasn't."

"I meant, what if you were on one of your monster hunts and it was dangerous?" Bill explains, moving his hands as he spoke. "Would you go by yourself?"

"Normally I would."

"What if you got hurt? Who would be there to help you?" Bill asks and sees that Ford is taken back by the concern in his voice, looks surprised actually but he recovers quickly.

"I'm experienced, chances of me getting hurt are very unlikely-"

"Accidents happen, Fordsie." Bill cuts in, his hands on his sides now. "Doesn't matter how experienced you are, all it takes is one little slip up and you're a goner. I don't believe the people above us would be too happy if one night you don't come home just because you think you're too good to have someone to have your back."

"...I'm flatter by your concern, Bill but if something's dangerous then I don't want to risk my family's lives." Ford replies. "I choose to go out there and risk my life but I'm not risking one of theirs."

"I don't think Stanley would be very happy to hear you say that." Bill watches Ford shallow the lump in his throat and tugs on the collar of his sweater. "I believe I heard you two have a conversation about that a few days ago, didn't I?"

"You've been listening to us?" Ford asks, leaning in his seat and supporting his head with his hand. "You can hear us from all the way down here?"

"Clearly." Bill replies, noticing Ford suddenly shifting in his seat.

"How...much have you heard?" Ford asks, his cheeks slightly flushed. Bill watches him for a only a few moments before he realizes what has the human was referring to.

"You and Stanley seem awfully close."

"So you've heard us." Ford sits back away from him and lets out a big sigh.

"Having sex? Yeah, sounds like you both were having a great time." Bill says nonchalantly. Ford looks away from him, rubbing his chin and muttering under his breath. "You don't have to be all shy about it, sixer. It's a normal thing you humans do, right?"

Bill lowers himself closer to the bottom of the chamber so he could see Ford's face better and he looks...tense about the subject, like...

"Nobody's supposed to know that you two are together?" Bill says, Ford meets his eye again. "Because you're both brothers."

"Yes," Ford nods and lifts his glasses to rubs his eyes. "Our relationship is currently a secret, we haven't really told anyone yet."

"Well it's not like I can out you both, I can't even leave this spot and nobody other than you comes down here to talk to me." Bill taps on the glass to get him to look back up to him. "Your secret is safe with me."

Ford doesn't realize he's smiling until he bites the inside of his cheek and sits back up, stretching and breathing through his nose.

"It's getting late, I'm surprised Stan hasn't came down to check on me." Ford gets up and pops his back. "I should probably go check on him and see the kids before it gets too late."

"Night Ford."

"Goodnight Bill." Ford picks up how coat from his desk and slips it back on as he walks towards the door that lead out of the lab.

Bill settles down on the bottom of the chamber and watches him leave but doesn't feel sad like he did the night before, Ford didn't ignore him like he normally did. There was still this tense feeling Ford had when he spoke to him and he could tell he was being careful about what he told him.

Bill noticed he avoided telling him what his great nephew's name so perhaps he's met the kid before, when he was...the way he was before. Mean? Evil? Bill didn't know, Ford won't tell him anything about his past but if he had to guess, he was probably evil since they have him locked up down in a lab.

Bill thinks back to last night, when Ford realized he could hear the children, the look on his face has Bill wondering if he had hurt the kids. Ford did say they couldn't know he was down here, maybe they were frighten of him?

He has no idea.

~*~

Running his hands up the glasses, Bill picks at the lid of his chamber and looks at where the lid is sealed around his prison. He knows it's firmly sealed shut and probably couldn't open it with his small hands but...eh, he was just so bored. Ford didn't have to know if he got out for a little bit, he wouldn't even go upstairs. Just move around enough to stretch his aching limbs and ease his boredom then he'll return to his chamber.

He'll behave so Ford wouldn't have to worry, he can be good.

Bill messes with where the glass mets metal, his fingers presses between them to see if it would lift up a bit but no luck. He pulls his hand back and runs it over the metal lid, feeling smooth surface and presses on it. There's a surge of electricity under his fingertip, it has him pulling his hand back in alarm.

What was that?

Slowly Bill presses his hand against the lid and presses against it, feeling the tinglingly feeling again. He squints his eye at the feeling and adds more pressure, suddenly Bill feels a shocking jolt through his entire body. His sight turns white and his body goes numb, feeling his body hit the bottom of the chamber before he can clearly see again.

"Ow." Bill sits up, rubbing his head and could still feel a tingly feeling throughout his body. What was that?

Bill looks at his hands and blinks, why were they...? He looks down at his body and jumps up. Why could he see through his hands? His body? He turns around confused and feels himself tense up at what he saw.

His body laying on the floor of the chamber, unconscious. What was going on? Did that kill him?! He looks back down at his transparent hands and feels panic spread though him. No, he doesn't feel dead.

Ford, he would know what to do. But no, wait...if he told Ford what happen, he would know he was trying to get out and would be mad at him. He floats down to lean against the glass and just stare at his body, to figure out what's he's going to do but once his back touched the glass, he fazes right though. Bill stumbles out and looks at the chamber with surprise, he was free.

Bill looks at his hands and reaches out to touch the glass, his fingers go right through.

Maybe...he should go get Ford, that's a responsible thing to do right? Bill pulls his hand back and curls his fingers, looking towards the door Ford normally leaves through. Or maybe he could take this chance to explore, it couldn't hurt and he technically wasn't physically outside his chamber, so he wasn't really going against Ford wanted...right?

What Fordsie didn't know won't hurt him.

Bill floats around the lab and looks at Ford's work, flipping through his research on his desk and reading through his research journals but something catches his attention. A photograph sitting on the corner of the desk, it has Ford and his brother Stan in it but also two kids.

They look...familiar in some way but he couldn't put his finger on it, he moves closer and picks up the frame to get a closer look. He feels like he knows them but who were they? Bill sets the frame down and rubs his head...agh, his head hurts.

It's frustrating not being able to remember when Bill knows he should recognize these people, he knows them but from where? He decides to not dwell on it for too long or he'll end up giving himself a headache, it'll come to him when it comes to him but for now, he'll just look around some more.

How about upstairs?