Hey guys. I decided to change my penname back to what it used to be. I missed it and it matches my avatar pic, which I didn't change when I had taken a new penname.

Hey, I noticed something the other day: this is my ninth fanfic. Talk about coincidence.

In warning, this is going to be somewhat of a filler chapter. Not exactly pointless, but it won't have a whole bunch of plot points. Still, it will have some cute moments. It's kind of compressed, but it takes place over a few weeks time and focuses most on Addy's new relationship with the stitchpunks. Hopefully, it is satisfying. And NO FLAMING!

Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.

Chapter 6: Family

We reached their home before sundown. It was a barn; a bit on the small side, but still in relatively good shape. The paint was faded and chipped, and there were a few sheets of metal missing from the tin roof. The double doors of the barn didn't hang on their hinges quite right anymore and there was a hole at the between them just big enough for the stitchpunks to get through. Unfortunately for me, the chain and padlock that held the doors shut were also in good shape. I ended up smashing a window and crawling in through it, much to the stitchpunks' amusement.

After that, we made our way up to the hay loft. Again, I found myself getting laughed at. The 'punks had rigged up a bucket on a pulley system, creating a crude elevator. I, on the other hand, had to contend with the world's ricketiest ladder. I could hear them giggling over top of the rungs that creaked at the slightest touch of my foot. The second I my hand touched the loft's floor, I flopped onto the deck, opting to just crawl onto it instead of walking up the rest of the ladder.

"Are you okay?" 9 asked while making a poor attempt to hide a smile.

"Oh, yeah, just fine," I gasped sarcastically.

"You afraid of heights?" I heard 7 quip from the window sill.

"No, heights don't scare me; it's the falling and landing parts that get to me."

The loft still had some bales of hay, and their scent was thick in the air. A single square window was in the wall directly across from the ladder. It was small, but not cramped. It was cozy and inviting.

3 patted my hand reassuringly before skittering off with 4 in her wake. She beckoned me to follow her and led me to a corner of the loft. There was a shoebox that was lined with woolen fabric. Next to it was a pillow and a small cushion. The assortment of objects were clearly being used as stitchpunk-sized beds.

"The pillow's mine and 4's," 3 flickered. "We're willing to share."

"Thanks," I said. I was surprised by how tired I was. Luckily, 4 chose that moment to yawn.

9 smiled tenderly the twins. He suddenly reminded me of my father, always watching out for the youngsters of the family. "I was going to ask you to tell us how you managed to survive," he said to me, "but I think that can wait until the morning."

"In that case, good night," I said thankfully. 3 and 4 let me get settled first before cuddling in around me. I noticed 9 lay down in the shoebox, but I didn't see 7 go to her cushion. I was already asleep.

-----

My eyes opened. It was still night. 3 and 4 were asleep, curled so tightly together it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. I watched them for a while. I found myself no longer thinking of 3 and the other stitchpunks as mere friends. They were my family now. I felt a maternal tug at my heart. Was this what it felt like to be a mother, to be willing to die a hundred, no, a thousand times over for these two tiny forms? Maybe this is how 7 felt for the family, this desire to take on the entire world if it meant they'd be safe for another day.

Speaking of 7, I didn't see her sleeping on the cushion. Looking at the window, I saw her silhouette sitting as silent and still as a statue. Carefully, so as not to wake the twins, I got up and walked over to the window. I knelt down next to it and just stared up at the sky. I had never seen so many stars before. The moon shone silver-white, practically making 7's pale fabric glow. The two of us sat in silence for a while. It wasn't an awkward silence, just two people admiring the view of the vast night sky.

7 was the first to break the silence. "They trust you a lot." I looked at her but didn't say anything. "4's usually a bit more timid around new people. He generally follows 3's lead."

"Is that why he was quick to change his mind about me, because 3 trusts me?"

"That and what you did today." I raised an eyebrow. "4 thought you were going to take 3 away again. But you told 3 that she should stay with her brother. It was your thoughtfulness that proved you're a good person."

I looked away, gazing down at the barren land. "And what do you think about me?" 7 didn't say anything for a while. Sighing, I stood up. "Hey, it's okay–"

"Addy, it's not that I don't think you're on our side. My lack of confidence in you is just a part of who I am. My job is to defend others. I'm so used to dealing with dangerous creatures that I'm having trouble believing that we've found a friend." I guess I understood that. Being less than ten inches tall in this world had to be hard.

"Still, given time, I think I could learn to like you," 7 added. She gave me a tiny smile. My heart warmed a little. Even though it was small, that smile was genuine. I returned it.

"I can take over keeping watch for a bit so you can get some rest. If you're okay with that, of course," I offered.

7 shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm used to doing this. You, however, look exhausted. Go back to bed."

"Okay. 'Night." 7 nodded in response. I felt her eyes on me as I made my way back to the pillow, and slowly lay down so I didn't wake up the twins. She wasn't glaring at me, or even suspiciously watching me. Instead, she was watching over me. I felt safe. Snuggling deeper into the pillow, I fell asleep again.

-----

The next morning, 3 had flat out refused to let me leave. After I had told the rest the how I helped 3, they agreed with 3. So, over the next several weeks, I found a place in the little family.

3 and 4 always wanted to learn more, and that caused us to lead a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. We'd stay one place for a few days until they had decided there was nothing of interest left, and then we'd move on. Our current place of residence was a school. It was in very bad shape, seeing as how only a few classrooms had evaded total demolition. Still, if you dug through the rubble, there were lots of books. Odds are the school had had a small library, which was essentially a treasure trove to the twins. Knowing them, we'd be spending a lot of time here.

Even though 3 and 4 were practically identical looking, I had found other ways of telling the twins apart. 3 was a bit more outgoing than 4, generally the first to check out anything new. They moved in the same manner, but 3 carried herself a little bit taller than he did. 4 never spoke to me, but I didn't mind. He was still comfortable enough around me that on occasion he'd ask me for help with understanding anything he found, and sometimes he'd run to me for help before the others.

9 was a leader, and a good one at that. The others, including me, always came first. He was friendly, patient, good-natured, and welcoming, and he had that same curiosity that 3 and 4 had. Yet despite all his cheerfulness, there was something sad about 9. It was like there was something that was constantly troubling him.

7 was indeed the guardian she had told me she was. She was always silently alert, and it sometimes seemed like she was too focused on finding outside dangers that she'd forget about everything else. But as I spent more time with the family, I was able to catch those rare tender moments 7 went through, most of which were directed at the twins.

And 7 was true to her word. She had gradually warmed up to me over time. In fact, she had asked me on several occasions to take a watch shift at night. I was honored by how much faith she had in me, and I did my best to live up to that.

The place I had found within the group was, for lack of a better word, babysitter. Whenever the twins went exploring, my job was to stay with them, keep them safe, and help them. I loved it. They'd ask me questions about whatever they found, and I was more than happy to explain it to them. Every so often, they'd even start a game with me. Though the rules changed every time, the game always started with hide and seek and ended with the pair on my shoulders, hugging me as tight as they could with their little arms.

I also kept my place as entertainer. At night, I'd play my flute or sing. I told stories and fairytales, sometimes classics and others of my own creation.

I was so happy to find a place with the family. It was such a change from being trapped alone in the bunker. Strangely, I found myself forgetting what I was. Subconsciously, my mind was forgetting I was a human and starting to believe I was just a really big stitchpunk. With the family… it was where I belonged, where I had always belonged.

We never kept anything from each other, but there was one subject that was generally taboo: our pasts. None of us wanted to reawaken bad memories, so we didn't pry too much into what we had been through. On rare occasions, we would talk a little bit about it. But more often than not they'd beg to hear about life before the war with the machines. They loved to hear about how green everything was, about the birds and animals, even things like sports and movies.

A few days ago, I had asked 7 why 9 was always had a slight cheerless air about him. What she told me broke my heart. 9 believed it was his fault that the others had died. Sensing that it was a sensitive subject, I backed off. Still, something about it reminded me of my nightmare. Was I dreaming about whatever had killed the fallen stitchpunks? But what would've triggered me to dream about that?

As I poked the fire, I mulled this over in my mind. Come to think of it, I haven't had that dream ever since I joined the family. Still, it sat there in my mind, like it was waiting to catch me off guard.

"Hey, are you okay?" 9 asked me. "Lately you've been…er…"

"Out of it?" I suggested.

"Yeah, out of it. What's wrong?"

I sighed softly. "I don't think it's anything you can help me with," I said, looking down at him. "Still, I appreciate the concern," I added with a smile.

"If you want to talk about it, remember you can always come to me," 9 said. "I'm sure even 7 would be willing to listen for a while."

"Thanks. You know, you can come to me with your problems as well," I replied with a small grin.

9 studied me for a moment. He smiled but shook his head sadly. "Thanks for the offer, but some things I need to deal with myself."

"If you're sure," I started but was interrupted by the twins jumping into my lap.

"Addy, 4's been complaining about it being too cold at night," 3 flickered. 4 instantly tackled her and a fight broke out, accompanied by the rapid-fire flickering that only the twins could understand.

"Guys," I said somewhat impatiently.

They froze, looked up at me in unison, turned back to each other and had another brief conversation. "4 wasn't complaining," 3 said to me at last, shooting a quick glare at her brother. "Can we sleep with you tonight?"

"But you have been," I replied, thinking back to how the pair had been moving from the pillow, which was again my satchel, to sleep on top of me during the past several nights.

"No," 3 flickered irritably, which I have to admit only made her cuter, "I mean like the way we did back at our old home."

"Of course you can." I settled down and lifted up the fleece blanket I had found during today's explorations. It was definitely a welcome addition to our discoveries as the nights were indeed getting increasingly colder. I found myself missing the little room above the music shop. I waited for the twins to curl up under my chin before wrapping all of us up.

At that moment, 9 came in. He had been outside talking with 7 about something. A part of me hoped that it was about his guilt problem and that 7 had helped him get over some of it. 9 noticed us and came over. "I think it's starting to snow out there."

I glanced up at the window. "Yup. Hey, is 7 still out there?" 9 nodded. "Think she'll come in soon?"

"Probably, but right now she's being stubborn." He stood looking a little dejected before hesitantly asking, "Is there any room left under there for another?"

"Absolutely," I replied and he curled up under a corner of the blanket.

I was fairly certain that my compatriots were asleep within five minutes. I was too worried about 7 to sleep. I was considering going out to find her when she came in, covered in a fine layer of snow. She brushed it off before doing a quick headcount, her almost hourly ritual.

I saw her stiffen when she didn't see anyone in their usual places. "Relax, 7. They're with me," I called softly.

7 turned sharply, and I pointed to the three little lumps that were cuddled up under the blanket. 7 nodded approvingly before she got that look again. 7 had a habit that whenever she wanted to ask something and felt embarrassed about it, her face would kind of scrunch up and she'd start to shift from foot to foot. It was kind of endearing.

Correctly guessing what was bothering her, I nodded. "The more the merrier."

"Thank you," she said as she claimed her own little section of blanket.

I surveyed the little family…my family. I loved them with all my heart and knew I'd do anything for them. At last I rested my head on the satchel. I drifted off to sleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

-----

"Keep close, you two," I called to the twins. I got a quick thumbs-up from 3 before the pair vanished into the rubble searching for anything new. 7 had gone to do some scouting and 9 was off lost in thought again somewhere.

I sat down and began making a few adjustments on my latest project. Perhaps a bit of 7's paranoia had worn off on me, but I was currently making a weapon with the talons I had pulled off of the mechanical spider. Using them, the leather gloves I had found, and some twine, I had attached the talons to the fingers. The result was some very sinister-looking claws, but they would definitely serve their purpose in close combat.

Suddenly a very loud, metallic roar sounded from the direction that 3 and 4 had gone in. Jumping up, I shouted out the warning call, hoping I was loud enough for 9 and 7 to hear. Looks like I'd be testing out my claws sooner than I had hoped.

Yay, cliffhanger! Back to what I'm famous for! Mwa-hahaha! Anyway, I told you this was a sort of long pointless chapter, and I apologize again. Hopefully you found it mildly interesting. I promise the next one will be better. See y'all next time!