A/N;No one can hurt me for this...and I'll tell you why. Because this supposed-to-be-one-shot just got turned into a full fledged story! I guess all your feedback and comments kind of sparked the muse and she started piecing together a working plot that I'm going to move forward with. So when you get to the end of this chapter...remember, it's just the end of the chapter. Not of the story. And Drea doesn't do sad endings :) So take heart in that my wonderful readers and enjoy the now STORY of Enough to Hope. Mikell, you are my beta and you always rock. You know that. Thanks for everything you do, including encouraging me to move forward with this. Love you!

Everything to Lose

Sulley whistled as he walked down the hallway to his office, a manila envelope with that weeks Laugh Reports and the morning newspaper clutched loosely in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. It was one of those perfect Monday mornings where he'd woken up to the sound of Mary humming in the kitchen, the sizzle of breakfast on the skillet and the smell of the morning blend she favored. One glance had showed a brilliant blue sky through a canopy of red and gold leaves still clinging to the large tree outside of Mary's bedroom window.

After sharing breakfast with her and Josh, entertaining the little guy until Mary had finished getting ready for work and leaving her at the closet door with a long kiss that promised a highly enjoyable evening, he returned through to his own world to start his day. He'd slipped carefully from the hidden room where he kept Joshua's door, stopped off to pick up the Laugh Reports and paper in the mail room and now was anticipating a lazy morning behind his desk where no paperwork waited, thanks to Mary.

He cheerfully greeted employee's as he passed them in the hallway. There was no curbing his good mood. There was no keeping it from spilling over. He only vaguely wished he could tell others what had provoked it, but keeping the secret was half the fun.

"Sulley!"

"Hey, Mike!" Sulley greeted, holding up a paw and watching the one-eyed monster run up to him. "Whoa, where's the fire?"

"With the CDA, that's where," Mike said, bracing a hand on his knee and trying to catch his breath.

"With the…what are you talking about?" Unease prickled over the back of his neck. He ushered Mike into his office, closing the door behind him. "What's going on, Mike?"

"This is bad, Sulley. This is really bad. There was a canister left on the Laugh Floor last Thursday. Rookie mistake and I talked to Werhausen about it. But the damage was already done, Sul. Protocol – if there's a canister filled after hours it has to-."

"Be brought in for inspection," Sulley finished softly, starting to feel the first threads of paralyzing dread.

"I'm not gonna ask what you two were up to. But Sulley…they sent it off to the CDA for in-depth testing."

Sulley sank into his chair, his legs no longer able to support him. His perfect morning was very quickly slipping through his fingers. How was he going to explain this? How was he going to cover up the fact that a human had been in Monsters Inc.? After the last time, the government had passed legislation to further buckle down on security and ensure such a thing would never happen. The CDA was adamant that although their attention to powering Monstropolis had shifted, that didn't mean they could consort with the human world past what they already did to collect laughter. They had no idea that Mike had pieced together Mary's door. They had no idea that Sulley had been interacting with her for years now, that he was involved in a relationship on an intimate level with a human. If they found out-.

"Mike…what can they do?" he asked, the question tumbling from him without him even noticing it.

Mike looked as helpless as he felt. "I dunno, Pal."

The intercom on his desk beeped, proceeded by a nasal female voice. "Mr. Sullivan, the president of the CDA is here to see you."

"Christ," Sulley muttered, rubbing his hands over his face. "Mike, what do I do?"

"Just…stay calm. Until we know what's going on and what they know, there's no point in panicking. Got that, Sulley?"

"Calm," he muttered, nodding distractedly. "Right."

A knock sounded at the door and he swallowed hard. He watched as Roz slinked in, her constantly narrowed eyes regarding them from behind the thick lenses of her horn-rimmed glasses. "Hello, boys," she grumbled.

An agent with the CDA was with her – a small man with tentacles for legs that wore a black suit coat over a white shirt and thin green tie that matched his splotchy skin. He closed the door behind them, shooting Mike a cursory glance before folding his hands in front of him and taking a protective stance at the door.

"I assume Mr. Wizowski has informed you of the canister that was turned over to us Friday afternoon?"

Sulley cleared his throat, forcing an impassive look. "He has."

"The contents were," she paused, adjusting her glasses between her wrinkled fingers, "unlike anything I've come across. Human, female…and adult." She clasped her hands behind her back, turning her gaze to watch a group of Monsters Inc. employees amble by, completely unaware of the severity of the conversation. It was just another day for them. Just like it had started out for him.

"We'll need a detailed account of all login activities from Thursday morning to Friday morning and surveillance footage as well, Mr. Sullivan."

"Of-of course," Sulley quickly agreed after glancing at Mike for approval. "I'll…have my secretary get it all together for you."

"Very good. Tell me," Roz turned to face him and he fought the need to shrink back in his chair. The woman may have been significantly smaller than, but her knowing gaze had always intimidated him. "Have you had any interactions with the human world, Mr. Sullivan?"

"None," he lied.

Her eyes narrowed further and for one terrifying moment, he was certain she knew the truth.

"Good. Because you know that any interaction on your part will result in immediate banishment. Legal ramifications, Mr. Sullivan. You understand that." She turned to leave, her assistant opening the door for her and stepping aside. "If such a thing were happening, I would strongly suggest all ties to the human word be immediately severed. There are jobs to think of, a business that our world relies heavily on. Good day, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Wizowski."

Sulley muttered a good-bye, waited until the door was closed and Roz was gone, then gripped the edge of the desk and tried to head-off a panic attack.

"The surveillance camera's-," Mike started.

"We disabled them. Got rid of any evidence that she'd been here."

"Sulley, they're going to put two and two together. They're going to know you tampered with something. These guys aren't amateurs. They know what to look for." Mike shook his head, sighing heavily. "As much as I hate to say it, Sul…"

"Then don't say it."

"Listen, no one here is as glad as I am that you're happy. But…you've got the company to think about. You've got your employees to think about. They rely on you. And Mary-."

"Stop, Mike," he interrupted miserably. "Just…stop."

He did, then a moment later crossed to Sulley's desk and placed a hand on his arm. "For what it's worth…I'm sorry."

Sulley couldn't look at him. He couldn't stop staring at the spot Mary had sat just days before, wearing that slip of nothing that made all of those dangers of her being there seem insignificant. But they weren't. Far from it.

"We can find another way."

His words rang hollow in Sulley's head. There wasn't another way. They'd found the only other way and come tomorrow, Sulley was certain it would be destroyed, just as Mary's had been. He would watch on as Josh's door was shredded and any hope of seeing the woman he loved gone with it.

"I need you to cover for me today, buddy." He pushed away from his desk, each movement feeling sluggish and painful. "Just for today."

"You got it, Sul."

He briefly laid a hand on Mike's shoulder, then left the office, heading down the hallway in the direction he'd come from. There were several CDA agents scattered throughout the building, interrogating employees, scanning walls and floors for traces of a human. He kept his head down and quickened his step. He knew there was no point in going to her now. But he couldn't sit there all day waiting. He couldn't risk losing that one doorway if they found out early on and searched every inch of the building until they found it. Even if it meant waiting for hours, he had to do it in her world or he'd go crazy, fearing every minute would be his last opportunity.

When he reached the hallway that lead down to the secret room, he looked both ways to ensure he was alone, then slipped into the darkness. He left the lights off, reaching blindly for the activation switch and sighing with relief when the light over the doorway lit up, the red glow casting the room into eerie shadows.

The brightness of the early fall afternoon filled Joshua's room. Sulley did a double-take when he saw the small boy resting peacefully amongst his blankets and stuffed animals. It was the middle of the day. He should have been in daycare.

Cautiously, making sure to keep as quiet as possible, he started out of the room and went down the hall a ways until he was in Mary's doorway. She was lying on the bed on her stomach, still wearing the blue silk blouse and gray slacks that she'd left the house in earlier that morning, her heels crossed and her black hose-covered feet dangling over the backs of her thighs. A magazine laid spread before her and she was, of all things, sucking on a sucker. He'd bet anything it was a watermelon blow-pop – her favorite. Hot tears burned his eyes and he drug in a shaking breath. He couldn't do this. He couldn't leave her. Not again.

Mary whirled to face him, startled by the slight sound. A smile immediately brightened her face. She set the sucker down on the magazine and nearly tumbled off the bed, closing the distance between them with quick, skip-like steps and throwing herself into his arms. "Sulley! What a surprise! I didn't expect to see you until later."

Out of habit, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What are you doing home?" he asked.

"Oh, Josh had a well-check today. The last time he got a round of immunizations he didn't handle it the best. Spiked a fever and threw up. So I'm keeping him home in case it happens again. What are you doing here?"

"Just…wanted to see you," he murmured, tightening his arms around her and closing his eyes against the sudden rush of tears.

She went still in his arms, then suddenly pushed back. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Boo," he muttered, trying to pull her back. All he wanted to do was hold her while he still could. When he was holding her, he could convince himself that his world didn't exist and he could just stay there with her, content and in love, where things made sense and he didn't have to sneak around to be with her. Well, at least not around her house.

"That's not a nothing voice," she persisted. "What's going on, Sulley?"

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, then took her hand and lead her over to the bed, coaxing her with a light pull to sit down beside him.

"Some newbie left a canister out on the Laugh Floor Thursday night," he muttered.

She looked confused at first, then confusion gave way to horrifying realization. That canister didn't hold laughs. It didn't hold screams. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red and she covered her gaping mouth with her hand. "Oh…my god."

"That's not the worst part. When a canister is left on the floor and a scan of the contents reveals something we're not used to dealing with, it's protocol that the canister be turned over for an in-depth investigation with the CDA."

She was slowly starting to piece it together, the color draining steadily from her face. "What…what does that mean?" she whispered.

He swallowed hard, trying to loosen the painful lump in his throat. It stayed lodged right where it was. "When they shredded your door, I had to swear off any contact with the human world, Mary. That's why I'm always working in an office and why I never got involved with the Laugh Floor aside from working the sidelines. The one time Mike came to get me…we had to relocate Josh's door to an old test room that no one used or even remembered. It was the only way I could see you. When they find out-."

"If," she interrupted firmly. "If they find out."

"When," he stated again. There was no point in color-coating the inevitable. "When they find out what's been going on…its banishment, Boo. The company will have to shut down and hundreds of people will be out of jobs until they find someone else to take over."
"Sulley, no," she breathed, her eyes glassing over. "What are you going to do?"

His insides crawled. He hated himself for what he was about to do, almost as much as he hated the CDA and every shred of responsibility he faced as a CEO. "I have to do what's right, Boo. I can't put hundreds of people out of jobs for my own selfish needs. I'll find another way but until that happens-."

"No!" she shouted, grasping at his hands and shaking her head wildly. "No, you can't do this. Not again. Sulley, please-."

"Boo, you have to understand," he pleaded. Tears started streaming down her pale cheeks and it ripped at his heart to see them, to know he was responsible for them. "If they banish me…there's a really good chance I'll never see you again. And all of those people…"

"This isn't happening." She couldn't seem to stop shaking her head. "This can't be happening. Kitty-."

His pet name on her trembling lips was his undoing. With a groan, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, desperate to eliminate every bit of space separating them while he still could.

"How much time do we have?" she whispered against his lips, her hands fisting in his fur and dragging him down on top of her.

He didn't answer her because in his mind, it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. He wanted a lifetime – anything less than that wasn't possible. Instead, he helped her slip the blouse from her shoulders, tugged impatiently at her slacks until they lay beside the pool of satin on the floor. He kissed away her tears, whispered promises he couldn't keep. He loved her like a man living his final hours, committing the feel of her soft skin under his hands, the way her ebony hair spilled over the freshly laundered pillowcases, every sigh, every hoarse cry that tumbled from her lips to memory, knowing it would be all he would have to sustain him through the lonely years ahead.

She didn't make a sound later when they walked together to Josh's room. She just clung to his arm, sniffling miserably. She watched on as he said a tearful goodbye to Josh, telling him to take care of his mom and stay out of trouble. The little boy's smile and tired snuggles made it all feel so much worse. And then, knowing that there was nothing more to be done, he faced the door.

"Sulley." Mary took his hand, pulling him back. "Are you sure this has to be done. Isn't there some way-?"

"If there is…I'll find it. But until I do…" He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers, unashamed of the tears dampening his fur. "Boo, I can't do that to all of those people. I can't do that to us."

She nodded, pressing her lips together and averting her gaze. Her shoulders went tense and she pressed her hand to her mouth. But not before he heard the painful sob muffled against her palm. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, no longer trying to hush her. There was nothing more he could say. All he could do was stand there, helpless, holding on to the one person that had brought light back into his life.

"I love you, Boo," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair and closing his eyes as her scent wrapped around him.

"I love you too." She pulled back, framing his face between her hands. "Find a way."

With one nod, he stepped back and grasped the door handle, his heart sinking. There was no way. But he couldn't tell her that. He pulled the door open and stepped back into his world, his heart shattering as the light overhead dimmed and went out. In the darkness, he leaned against the door, fighting back the sorrow and failing. In the end it was easier to give in, to sink to the floor and allow it to consume him where no one could hear his anguished cries. Where there was nothing but heartbreak, and a door that would never open for him again.