(MADELEINE'S POV)

*87 lbs.

The echo of Madeleine's black converse, Johnny's steel-toed boots and Squee's small sneakers sounded through the cafeteria as they puttered around, scanning the choices of shit- no, food there was to eat.

Maddie, being fairly hungry since she had vomited earlier, still despised food. It spiked the chance to have it talk to her; let the enemy slice away at the strings of her sanity. The voice never quieted when it came to the choice of food.

Muffins, bagels, chips, mochas, lattes, biscuits, croissants, sausage patties, bacon; let it all sizzle and tear at your tongue. Let it snip, snip, snip at your innards and tug the skin at your abdomen. Indulge…

Hanging her head, Madeleine let her eyes skim across the starchy foods, snacks and breakfast choices on the menu in the cafeteria, keeping a straight face as it's words picked in her ears.

Swallowing the bile that crept up her throat, Madeleine shuffled her feet before stepping back and signaling for Todd to go first since he was the main reason as to why they were there.

Dragging her eyes downcast, she spotted Squee watching the man at the counter with large eyes and a terrified expression. Bending down, Maddie questioned, "do you want me to order for you?"

The child nodded his head, squeezing his teddy bear, Shmee, before saying in a squeaky voice, "muffin…"

"One muffin please," Maddie said to the cashier before straightening her back and taking a look behind her to see Johnny, mulling around the café, already delighting himself with a Cherry Fizz-Whizz and a bagel in his other hand.

Smirking at this, she turned around and looked at the menu before letting her smile fall from her face.

Taste the want; your tongue burns for it…

Shaking with uneasiness, she couldn't quite figure out if the voice urged her to eat or experience another embarrassing feeling for Johnny. Gritting her teeth in refusal at the idea, Madeleine focused and picked out a random object on the menu.

"…and a blueberry scone. Add a small coffee to that and...," Maddie stopped mid-sentence before looking back down to Squee questioningly, "do you want anything to drink?"

Squee shook his head before looking back to the tiled floor beneath him.

"That's it…"

The cashier behind the granite counter replied in a dull voice, "that'll be six dollars and forty seven cents. Would you like this in a bag ma'am?"

Pulling out her wallet, Maddie shrugged, shaking her head before setting the required change on the counter.

After a few seconds, their food came out on a small tray: steaming cup of black coffee sitting on the side, Squee's banana-nut muffin and Madeleine's random choice of scone.

Blueberry Scone: 230 calories (estimated)

Chewing her lip while she narrowed her eyes, Maddie took the coffee in one hand while she held the tray with the other, passing Johnny and leading Todd to a small booth outside of the cafeteria.

Setting the food onto the table, Todd crawled onto one side of the booth before laying his bear on the far side of the table, away from the food.

Glancing behind her, Maddie waved her hand, catching Nny's attention before sitting in the booth opposite of Todd, scooting over to leave room for Johnny.

"Dig in, I guess," she said as she picked up her coffee, acknowledging Johnny's presence as he slid onto the seat beside her.

Todd took the muffin, staying quiet as his eyes stayed on the table, away from Johnny and Madeleine. Of course, every now and then, he would look up with a curious face before letting his eyes travel the area around them; they were in the dining area just next door to the hotel café.

"So…," Todd said in a light voice before looking up from his muffin, "if you both are… married now, aren't you supposed to have a… uh… er…"

The child pondered as he rose an eyebrow, watching the two with curiosity as he tried to finish his question, "a…. h-….. honey thing? A… honey… what's it called?"

Widening her eyes, Maddie finished Todd's question, "a honeymoon?"

The child nodded his head vigorously before stuffing another piece of the muffin in his mouth hungrily.

"Y'know…," Maddie looked over to Johnny with a confused face, while Johnny glanced at her.

Nny opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he shut it, completely surprised at Todd's question. Maddie, too, was baffled by this, realizing that Johnny nor Maddie had made plans for a honeymoon; they never even considered the idea.

Staring at the black, steaming liquid before her, Maddie narrowed her eyes before answering in a soft voice, "actually, we haven't even thought about it… I guess…. I dunno."

Shrugging her shoulders, she cocked her head to the side before letting her eyes wander around the room, completely silent. Maddie propped her elbows onto the table, startling Todd, again, before lacing her fingers together and twiddling her thumbs.

Truthfully, Johnny and Maddie never even thought about the honeymoon. What were you supposed to DO during a honeymoon? Spend time together? If so, where would they go and what would they do, and how would it be any different than their regular lifestyle at home?

But Todd was right; almost every marriage had a honeymoon so they could spend some quality time with their new husband or wife. It was to be expected of a newlywed couple.

A sharp stab hit her abdomen, bringing Madeleine back to reality while her stomach cried out for attention. Frowning, Maddie narrowed her eyes as she glared at the tray that held her fresh blueberry scone. Damn it looked good…

Mouthwatering deliciousness…

Sighing, Maddie's eye twitched as Johnny nudged her with his elbow, suggesting that she start eating.

Recoiling from the suggestion, Maddie forced herself to reach out and grasp the pastry before setting it on a napkin before her, tearing off an extraordinarily small piece and stuffing it in her mouth. Daring not to waste any time tasting it, she swallowed it down whole before wiping the frown off her face and looking to Todd who was grazing off of his own muffin in a bored fashion.

The child set down his food, wiping his hands before placing them under the table, letting a tired and somewhat worried expression fall onto his facial features.

"Dad's gone, isn't he? The police took him somewhere, and Mom's dead… what now?"

Both Maddie and Johnny stopped eating and let their jaws drop, completely taken aback from the random question.

"I-…," Maddie started, but even she couldn't answer Todd this time. Madeleine remembered back to when the police officer spoke to her about Todd and his parents losing their parental rights to their child. He was to be put into an orphanage or foster custody until he was to be adopted from a family that was ready enough to take a child in their home.

But until that time, Madeleine had no idea. Todd was raced to the hospital with his dead mother in an ambulance, but he would probably have to be taken to an orphanage of some sort to continue his education and have shelter until the time being.

Madeleine frowned with discomfort at the fact that she was unable to answer Todd. She couldn't help him.

"We don't know the options yet; give the situation some time… you're father however is being sent to jail. Todd, sweetie… that was extremely wrong of him to hurt you like that; he committed the crime of child abuse… something no kid should have to endure. But let's not get into that, shall we?"

Taking a sip of her coffee before breaking off another piece of her scone, Madeleine changed the topic quickly, as if to keep the conversation in a rather happy mood.

"So, Squee-gee, have you bought anything with your Christmas present yet, or are you saving it for something big," Madeleine half smiled at the child before sticking the pastry piece into her mouth, desperately trying not to focus on how sickly sweet the doughy flavor was.

Todd's eyes lit up a little from the topic of his present before saying in a squeaky voice, "bought… this shirt," the child scooted out of the booth, flaunting off the shirt that he was wearing. It was a happy face shirt, the background color being lime green with a yellow smiley face on the front. On the back were bold, black letters that wrote, "smile: be glad you're not dead yet!"

Smiling, Maddie giggled with amusement while Johnny chuckled at the child's appearance, "the things kid's wear these days…"

Picking off another few pieces of the pastry, Maddie quickly devoured these in a few quick bites before she hiccupped loudly, scaring Todd and making him squeal in surprise.

"Sor-," she was cut off with another hiccup, and another shortly after that. She continued on, hiccupping while Squee crawled back into the booth, watching Madeleine and Johnny intently, a little more comfortable with them.

Biting her tongue, Madeleine tried to stop the sudden hiccups while holding her breath, thus turning her face a light shade of pink from the loss of air supply. After a few moments, she took a breath, getting the reassurance that the hiccups had stopped; the nuisance silenced and put to an end.

Looking back to Johnny and Todd, Maddie realized that they both were finished with their meal, and were waiting patiently for Madeleine to finish her blueberry scone which wasn't even halfway done. Drooping her shoulders, Madeleine sniffed and wrapped a napkin around the pastry before placing a plastic lid onto her coffee cup, "let's go do something; there's bound to be something here that's fun to do other than sit around a lobby."

Now, with all three of them standing on their feet, Madeleine took another bite of her scone before setting her coffee cup onto the table and raising a finger, signaling Johnny to wait.

Maddie hurried to the nearest restroom, still clutching onto the half of the blueberry scone she had in her hand before pushing herself through a swinging door and entering the women's restroom.

Tossing her leftover sugar segment in the trash, she hurried over to the sink, pulling off her gloves and turning on the faucet, washing her hands in cool water before splashing some onto her face.

It worried her how Todd wasn't reacting much to the current situation at hand. Usually, a young child like that would be bawling his eyes out, crying out for his mother or father for comfort, but perhaps Todd was just in a heavy state of shock.

But even so, Squee didn't talk much about the problem, other than wondering 'what next'. And to be honest, Madeleine didn't expect the question about the honeymoon either; it was something that she didn't even have time to think about. It was only the first day after their wedding, but Todd was right; they SHOULD be spending time together, somewhere, doing something different other than hanging in a hospital with a terrified child whose mother had just died and whose father was arrested for child abuse.

The complications that ran through her head, away from Todd's own conflicts were mind-ravaging as well. Why the HELL would her very own aunt send them condoms? Did she REALY mean it as a joke, and why would she CARE to send them? She was surprised they had even come to the ceremony at all.

One of the main reasons why she even left her family was because they abused her; it was ironic to have them send anything, not to mention condoms, through a wedding present. It was a sickening concept, but it happened all the same, infuriating her and stressing her that much more.

Splashing more water onto her face, Maddie wiped her dripping face and neck with a paper towel before looking at her face in a mirror, disgusted at herself.

Love… a desire that longs to be touched… to be held…

Toss the waste, thrive within the shell that binds you to your fate.

Growling at the reflection in the mirror, Maddie looked at the woman up and down before picking at the hair tie that held her hair up loosely, pulling out the band and letting her wavy black hair fall to her shoulders.

Running her fingers through it so as to fix the majority of the tangles, Maddie continued to glare at her appearance. Honestly, Madeleine didn't care what she looked like, she just hated the numbers.

On the scale.

On the nutrition facts.

On the clock.

In her head; a ticking time bomb.

So much to do, so much to say, so much to feel within such little time; the decisions, the possibilities, the reasons, the emotions…

"Shut up…," Madeleine whispered to herself as she strode out of the bathroom, tearing her eyes away from the mirror and taking herself to the booth in which Todd and Johnny were waiting by, talking awkwardly. Todd had his eyes wide in caution, but his face was less strained; comfortable.

Johnny, however, was completely content with the fact that Todd was being well taken care of, and protected in Madeleine's and Johnny's watch. He sat on the booth, talking to the child with an intent face, but Madeleine couldn't tell what they were talking about; she was too far away to eavesdrop on their conversation.

But eavesdropping was a rude task in general, so Maddie passed this by, continuing towards them, trying to look as casual as possible.

Faking a smile, Maddie walked up to the table, reaching for her coffee before setting the other hand on her hip, trying to figure out where to go from there.

What fun could you have in a hospital?

Below her, Madeleine was startled by a loud "SQUEE," before Todd asked in a horrified tone,

"What happened to your ARMS?"


(AUTHOR'S NOTE)

Oh noes! Todd found out Maddie's secret! D:

Haha, no POV from Johnny in this one… oh well!

I am tired… so, I'll make this short, simple and sweet.

The italicized is the voice in Maddie's head…

I lagged at the end… it's because I'm tired…

Hmm… I'm already feeling deprived of romance… eh.

Disclaimer: Jhonen Vasquez owns JTHM and any characters of JTHM, not me. I own Madeleine.

My friend, Hala, said 'hi'….

(Dialogue between me and Hala)

Hala: *reading this story out loud to me in dramatic voice* "blah blah blah 'oh, I wouldn't quite say that…that red flush on your face is very sexy'… oh la la, you NAUGHTY NAUGHTY little girl…"

Me: *hangs head in shame* stop… you are taking this story to a WHOLE new level if you look at it from a pervert's point of view… just stop and kill me now…

Hala: Too bad; you must SUFFER!*continues on with the chapter in dramatic voice*

"I know you're hiding martians in your head! Gimme them martians! I am going to put butter on them! Martians… Grrr!"

Happy Noodle Boy/ Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez