The arm wrapped around his middle loosened, setting Felix back on his feet. He spun around to face his unexpected guest. "If you wanted to drop by, ma'am, you simply could of knocked on my door."

"Sorry about that," Calhoun mumbled an uncomfortable apology, "I was trying to keep my presence a secret."

"What're you doing here?"

"I need your help."

"You do? How can I be of service to you, ma'am?"

Calhoun began to pace, rubbing a hand over her face as she did. She looked like a rabbit ready to bolt from a trap. "Hero's Duty isn't like other games. We don't all happy-go-lucky skip off after work hours. We fight cy-bugs, but the thing about cy-bugs is they don't know they're in a game."

Her piercing gaze zeroed in on him. Felix caught a glance at the way her fists shook, the action making him a little on edge. "All they know is eat, kill, multiple. Our work never ends. They keep coming and coming like a never-ending flow of death. But that's not the worst of it."

Calhoun ceased pacing. She closed her eyes bringing a knuckle to her mouth, taking in several deep breaths. Felix stayed rooted to the floor as she continued, "The programmers of Hero's Duty thought it was a great idea to program me with the most tragic backstory. Every day I relive the nightmare that is my past. I've tried to not think about it, to ignore the images in my head, but they never stop coming."

Felix remained speechless. He wasn't wrong when thinking this woman needed a friend. He never heard such a horrible circumstance. Why were games programmed to be so violent these days? His heart went out to this woman, but he didn't know what he could possibly do for her.

"How exactly do you reckon I can help you?"

Calhoun gestured to the tool hanging from his belt. "You said your hammer can fix anything."

Felix raised a finger, chiming in, "Almost anything." Then it hit him. "Sergeant Calhoun, if you want me to do what I think you want me to-"

The frustration was already evident on her features. "At least try to fix me."

Felix had lived in a happy little bubble his whole life; the closest to seeing sadness was a fellow game being unplugged. The wounded look in her eyes tugged Felix's heartstrings. This woman standing here was broken, and as a fixer, he was moved to do whatever he could to repair the brokenness.

He held up his golden hammer, the weight of the tool uncharacteristically heavy in his grasp. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that his hammer could fix shattered windows and smashed bricks, and could even heal physical abrasions, but emotional wounds programmed into code? He already knew the outcome.

Calhoun bent to one knee, lifting her chin with dignity. "Fix me, Felix," she uttered with such trust and surety in her voice that made Felix's hand want to tremble.

He tapped her chest gently over her heart, but the familiar fixing jingle didn't ring. "It didn't work, ma'am."

"Try tapping my head." Felix cringed at the suggestion. "I'm not scared of a little tap on my noggin, Fix-It."

Felix took a deep breath, taping the bell of the hammer as soft as he could against her blonde head. Nothing. His limbs fell to his sides. "I'm sorry, Miss Calhoun."

The sergeant stayed bent on one knee for an extended moment, the hope depleting from her. She got to her feet, head bowed, and a far off look in her gaze. "It was a mistake coming here. I should of known better than to assume this would work."

She made a beeline for the door, but Felix reached out, grabbing her hand. "Miss Calhoun, wait!" Felix's heart went out to this woman. He didn't know what was compelling him to want to help her, to fix the distress that ailed her. She was absolutely stunning in her HD glory, but there was more to Sergeant Calhoun than that; more than just helping out a pretty face. His hammer may not have fixed her, but he was determined to repair her brokenness or his name wasn't Fix-It Felix Jr.

"Why don't you stay the night?" The words flew out of his mouth, and Felix couldn't believe what he was suggesting. "Maybe getting away from your game will help ease your mind."

They mutually dropped the handhold. A beat of silence filled the room as both looked anywhere but at each other. Felix was beginning to worry that his offer was too forward, or Miss Calhoun would get the wrong idea. A tint of red colored his cheeks, adding more detail to his offer, "You can sleep in my bed, and I'll take the couch. My bed may be a little short for you, but it's cozier than the couch."

He glanced up at her to find Calhoun nibbling on the inside of her lip, still mulling over the idea. "Okay," she nodded, "But I don't want to put you out of your own bed, Fix-It."

"It's no problem, ma'am."

Felix was confident that his plan would work, that Sergeant Calhoun would be as right as rain in the morning and he'd see her off with a smile. He was right as Calhoun sat down at his bar, Felix presenting her with a bountiful plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

"Why the feast?" she asked as Felix hopped up on the stool next her.

"I never get to cook a big breakfast since its only little ole' me," he shrugged, feeling his cheeks heat up, "Feel any better?"

Calhoun broke a piece of bacon off, crunching it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and Felix caught the way she savored the meal. "I do. This is the first night since being plugged in that I slept the entire night."

"See? All you need was a restful night's sleep."

The two enjoyed the breakfast and the company. Felix sent Calhoun on her way, the cloaking device on her armor hiding her from any nosy neighbors. The relief in her eyes as she left made his chest swell, his task at fixing the brokenness had worked. But what Felix didn't realize was that emotional healing took time, and Sergeant Calhoun would be a work in progress.