Chapter Three

Finley locked the door behind her as she entered her apartment. It felt really nice being back in Monstropolis and she planned to stay. After about a year in hiding, as to avoid banishment, she received a call from an old friend, filling her in on Waternoose's arrest and Randall's own banishment. It tugged at her heart knowing he had gotten in so deep but it was what he needed. After the news, she returned home and James Sullivan, the new CEO at Monsters Incorporated offered her, her old job at the company.

It was an uneventful and boring day at work and Finley had nothing planned for the evening. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she really missed living with Randall. He could be mean to others but he always treated her differently. He was always kind and sweet and she couldn't help but fall in love with him.

"Damn that lizard," she muttered to herself as she made her way into the kitchen to fix herself dinner.

"You talking about me?" The voice had come so suddenly, it scared the living daylights out of her. She jumped and screamed upon finding Randall sitting casually at her kitchen table, as if he hadn't spent a year in banishment.

She placed a brown paw over her heart and said, "You shouldn't be here, Randy. You messed up big time and if you don't leave, I'll call the CDA."

He sighed heavily. "Fin, I'm really sorry."

Finley crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the purple lizard. "'Sorry' is not going to cut it Randall Boggs. You were banished for a reason."

Randall shook his head, as if disagreeing with her. He stood up from his seat and took a few steps in her direction. Finley backed down which caused Randy to hesitate but he continued in nearing her. He took one of her hands and held it tightly. "That's not what I'm sorry about…well, I am sorry about that. Banishment was horrible, but I meant I was sorry with what happened between us."

Finley gazed into his green eyes, unsure if she should actually believe him. He was a darker purple than she remembered him to be. Were those bruises on his skin? "And what exactly happened with us?" She was testing him, curious to see what he would say. "As far as I know, there was nothing going on."

Randall tightened his grip on her hand. He started to look nervous now, glancing every which way but not fully making eye contact anymore. He quickly leaned into her to place a soft kiss on her lips before backing away completely, as if embarrassed with his actions. "There was always something between us. I was just too stupid to act on it."

Finley didn't realize she stopped breathing until Randall actually told her to breathe again. It was something she had always wanted- to have Randy reciprocate his feelings for her. And it was happening. But it felt wrong. He wasn't a good guy and she really shouldn't have anything to do with him.

"This is wrong. I need you to leave," she mumbled. She tried to turn away but he wouldn't let her go.

"Is that really what you want?" he asked. He seemed truly upset by her shutting him out and it tore at Finley's heartstrings. She didn't want to admit it, but she wanted him to stay there with her.

Finley sighed. "Randy, you know that's not what I want. Things went down so badly. It was all just so horrible. Being with you is all I've ever wanted. But you messed things up and we just can't go back to that."

Randy nodded, taking in what she said. "I'll fix things." And with that, he slithered away, leaving Finley in her apartment alone.

When Finley walked into work the following week, she was shocked at what she saw. Randall had disappeared from her apartment that night and she hadn't seen him again. Finley had suspected that the CDA caught him and had thrown him behind bars but instead, he was out on the laugh floor…passing out the canisters…talking kindly with Sulley.

She walked up to them slowly, as if not believing what she was seeing. "Uh….what…?"

Sulley caught the look on Fin's face and tried to diffuse the situation quickly. "I know it looks bad but I can explain everything. He's on a bit of a probation period and if anything bad happens he goes straight to jail. Simple as that."

Finley frowned. "He can't be trusted. I can't believe you were tricked so easily, Sulley."

The big blue monster chuckled. "Mike wasn't too pleased either…"

Finley faced Randall. Seeing that he was smiling hopefully at her, she sent a glare his way and whipped around heading straight for her work. She was home now and she wasn't going to let him ruin it for her. It turned out a lot harder than she was anticipating because she saw him constantly throughout the day. He always made the effort to talk with her or to bring her his undivided attention. By the end of the day, Fin almost smiled when she saw him.

When she clocked out that evening, she was trying to figure out if she would make something for dinner or just cave and get take out, when she was stopped by none other than Randall. He watched her carefully, trying not to scare her off.

She rolled her eyes and practically growled, "Do you ever give up?"

Randall sheepishly laced his fingers behind his back and kicked the ground. "I don't want to give up. I ruined everything between us. I just want to make it right."

The fox hated to admit it but she was having a difficult time saying no. She cared for him so much and she wanted them to work out but what if he turned again? He was such a nice, sweet guy when they met in college. She never expected him to be banished for trying to cause harm. And yet here he was again and he was trying desperately to make things right again. That was more like the Randall that she knew and loved. Something was telling her to give him a chance.

"Can I walk you home?" Randall asked nervously.

Finley looked at him, debating. She knew that she shouldn't but she couldn't help herself. She nodded. "I'm getting dinner too."

There was no turning back now. But maybe this was the right choice to make. She wanted him in her life and he obviously felt the same way. Maybe they could work things out and be as close as they used to be. Maybe they could be something more, as long as they made the right choices as they continued down the road.

A/N: Okay, now I'm done. Thanks for reading/following/reviewing!