For the first time in one of my stories I have decided to add Artie. I thought about adding him in Sweet Sacrifice, but it didn't really seem to fit. So I made up an explanation on why he wasn't there, which you will find in this chapter.

And thank you for the nice reviews so far! I appreciate it. :D

Chapter 2: Out of Sight

Sunni gasped. Gruffi looked from one gummi bear to another. At first silence fell upon the group of gummi bears. Then came the questions.

"Your father?"

"I thought he was dead?"

"What is he doing here?"

Gusto looked back at Rose.

"So this is what you meant," he said in a low voice.

Zummi stood up from his chair and placed the book, he had been reading, on a table nearby.

"Rose, I think you have some explaining to do," he said. Rose sighed. She sat down in the chair, Zummi had been sitting in. Gusto's father was still standing by the fireplace, silent. In the light of the fire his fur almost looked the same color as Gusto's.

"Gusto, as you can see your father… Mattheus… didn't die from his injuries. He has been in jail this whole time. I found out when Leonard was charged for what he did here. Apparently he had kept this information hidden for everyone. He's a more powerful magician than you'd think."

"So he manipulated me?" Gusto said, still looking at his father.

"Yes. All of us."

For once Gusto wasn't smiling. Mattheus broke the silence, as he stepped closer to the artist.

"It's really you, isn't it, Gusto?"

"It's me."

"I've been looking forward to seeing you."

"I can't exactly say the same about you," Gusto answered, frowning. He sent Rose a quick look. His father didn't seem to mind what he said though.

"How have you been?"

"Well, I've been fine since I met these gummi bears. I was stuck on an island for twelve years until Gruffi and Tummi saved me. After that I ended up here," Gusto said, crossing his arms as he stared at his father. Mattheus looked down for a bit.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Gruffi just looked at them. In his surprise he had a hard time figuring out what to say. Mattheus walked over to the painting, Gusto had left by the wall, and glanced at it.

"I can see you still paint?" Mattheus asked.

"Huh?" Gusto turned his head in the direction of Mattheus.

"You still paint?"

Gusto sighed.

"All right, go ahead," Gusto said, turning to look at Mattheus.

"Excuse me?"

"Say what you always said."

"Gusto, it's not like that. I've changed. I'm really not the same bear anymore."

"Wow…" Gusto replied, shaking his head. "Are you expecting me to actually believe you this time?"

"C'mon, Gusto, hear him out," Gruffi said, stepping between father and son.

"No, you know what?" Gusto replied, walking over to the wall, taking his painting in his hands. "I'll go back the waterfall. I think I need to clear my head anyway."

And within a few seconds Gusto was out the door.

Gusto entered his home behind the waterfall. Artie was sitting in one of Gusto's chairs, polishing his feathers. The bear placed the painting on the ground, as he made an annoyed sound.

"Did it go that well?" Artie asked sarcastically, as he watched his newly arrived friend.

"It went horribly," Gusto replied, sitting down in his couch. "You really should have taken yourself another vacation, Artie."

"It was more me exploring rather than a vacation, Gusto," Artie replied. Even though they were very close friends, Artie and Gusto needed space away from each other. So Artie had taken a trip away from everything. He had flown off when Rose and the gummis of New Gumbrea had sent the letter, saying that they would be visiting the Glen. When he had arrived back home, he'd been told, that Gusto would soon be a father. At first he thought it was a joke and had started laughing. When Grammi had filled in the rest of the details, and he realized what had happened in his time absent, he was both happy and worried for Gusto at the same time. And now he looked at his friend with more concern than ever.

"What happened?" the toucan asked.

"My father is still alive, apparently."

"What?! He's here?"

"Yes. Alive and well. Leonard must've really put a spell on me, to make me think that he was actually dead."

"Wow... are you all right?"

Gusto sighed.

"I don't know."

Artie was finding it hard to say anything. He only knew that his friend had to be distracted from wherever his mind was wandering.

"Well... Cubbi and Sunni are still posing for you later, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then you'll have something else to focus on."

Gusto smiled at him. The frown in his forehead disappeared slowly.

"You're right. Maybe I should go set everything up."

"You do that. Oh, and how is Rose?"

Gusto stood up from the couch, and began finding his brushes and colors. He sent Artie a quick smile.

"Let's not talk about that."

"There! That should do it!" Gusto painted the light pink color onto the final white spot on the canvas. That would be the last color. He put his brush down on the small table next to the canvas. Now the painting just had to dry. His face appeared behind the finished painting, where the two youngest gummi bears were sitting.

"You can stop posing now," he said and smiled.

"Ah! Finally!" Cubbi hopped off his chair and sat down in Gusto's couch. He picked up a cookie form the tray, which they had brought from Grammi. Artie, who had been sitting on the backrest of the couch, grabbed one as well with his beak.

"What does it look like?" Sunni asked and got off her chair as well to get closer to the artist. She gasped. "Come have a look, Cubbi!"

"All right!" Cubbi stuffed his mouth with cookies and got up. He placed himself beside Gusto. "Wow! Did you really paint that?!"

"Indeed I did, Cubster!"

"It looks great!"

A rumble could be heard from the ceiling. The three gummi bears looked at each other in confusion.

"What the…?" Gusto looked up, frowning. He walked from the painting over to the middle of the living room. Light dust began falling from the ceiling, gently covering his forelock. Then the rumble stopped.

"What was that?" Cubbi asked.

"Artie," Gusto said, as he turned around to look at his friend. He brushed the dust off his hair. "Can you fly to the Glen to get Gruffi? I think this is a job for him."

"Sure," the toucan answered. He then flew off.

"What was that noise?" Cubbi asked.

"I think there might be a leak somewhere," Gusto answered. "But I'm not sure." He sat down in the chair, which Sunni had been sitting in. The two young bears walked over to him. "Listen, I think you two should wait outside until Gruffers and I have figured out, what it is. Or you could go back to the Glen? Just to be on the safe side."

"You sound just like Gruffi! You worry too much," Cubbi replied. Gusto smiled. Maybe he had been seeing too much of that brown bear.

"Well, I think this might be something to worry about, Cubster. And I don't want you two in here. It could be dangerous."

"But Gusto…" Sunni began.

"Everything will be fine!" Gusto said, getting up from his chair, gently pushing the two gummi bears to the entrance of the waterfall. "Gruffi and I will figure it out. Then you can come back here and see the painting, when it's fully dry!"

As the two small bears left the apartment another rumble could be heard. Gusto looked up to the ceiling.

"This doesn't sound good…"

"I've been telling him to fix that ceiling for weeks!" Gruffi said angrily as he stood up from the table in the kitchen, looking at the toucan. "And now Sunni and Cubbi are at his place, and the entire place is about to collapse!"

"I didn't say that the place was about to collapse. I said we heard…"

"I know what you said!" Gruffi replied annoyed.

"Gruffi, it might be dangerous. Maybe Mattheus should go with you?" Rose suggested. She sat at the kitchen table, gently caressing her belly. Gruffi glanced at Mattheus. He had been very quiet since Gusto had left the Glen. However, Gruffi knew what he had to do.

"No! I'll go alone!" Gruffi grabbed his box of tools on the kitchen table and began walking towards the door. "I swear if anything happens to them, I will never let Gusto paint again!" He then slammed the door behind him.

"I don't think Gusto would ever ask for permission," Artie responded, looking at Grammi. She handed him a grape.

Gusto walked into the back of his studio. Another rumble was heard, this time it was louder. As he took a closer look at the stone wall, he put his hand on its' surface. It was wet. There really was a leak. The floor began shaking, as he stood there, looking at the surface of the wall beginning to crack open.

He ran through the studio and all the way through the living room. Rocks began falling around him. He then remembered that the lift was at the bottom of the waterfall. He wouldn't make it in time. There was only one solution: To jump.

"Do you think he'll be all right?" Sunni asked, as she quickly glanced back to the waterfall.

"Are you talking about his dad? Because that was weird," Cubbi replied.

"Yeah, you know… with everything. And if there really is a leak…"

"Gusto said everything would be fine. We should trust him." A sudden movement in the bush near them made them both jump in surprise.

"There you are!" It was Gruffi. He got out of the bush and fully appeared. He breathed hard for air. "What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be with Gusto?"

"He demanded that we left," Sunni said. "He said something about you being able to fix it."

"Yeah. He's beginning to sound like you!"

"He's still in there?" Gruffi asked concerned.

Another deep sound was heard. The three of them turned their heads to look at the waterfall. They all watched in terror as the walls surrounding the waterfall began falling to the ground.

"Gusto!" Sunni yelled, taking at step forward.

"Sunni, get back! It's too dangerous!" Gruffi said, pulling both of them closer.

Suddenly they saw the blue bear jumping through the waterfall. He dived into the water. They all looked at the water in tension.

Within a few seconds his head appeared on the surface of the water. They could hear him cough.

"So... a gummi bear really does live here!"

Gusto froze. He knew that voice all too well. He turned in the water only to watch Duke Igthorn standing in the water close by with his army of ogres.

"Igthorn…" Gusto whispered. He tried to swim away, but Igthorn grabbed him by the leg and pulled him back, making him get water in his mouth. Igthorn pulled Gusto up from the water by the neck. He struggled to breath.

"Now, little gummi bear. You're coming with me! Let's see of your friends will give me the recipe on gummi berry juice, if they know you're in trouble!"

"Gusto!" Cubbi yelled from the bushes on the other side of the river. Gusto looked over at him to see the sadness in the little bear's eyes. But before he could do anything, Igthorn threw the very first punch out of many to come.

And everything turned black.