(A/N)- Sorry this is short. Just grin and bear it, that's all you have to do. Grin. And. Bear it.


Chapter 12 - Randall's Apartment


She hadn't wanted to go over his place tonight; she was afraid she was leading him on. She wasn't sure exactly how she felt about him, if she loved him as a friend or loved him as ... well, something more. And she began to wonder if it really was something she ought to be running from. Randall seemed like a nice guy ... but wasn't it he who said what someone really is and what they seem like are two different things? Well ... she felt like she knew who he really was, despite the fact she didn't know his secrets ... she at least knew him better than anyone in Monsters Inc, perhaps in all of Monstropolis. And she'd only known him for a little over a month now ...

But the quicker they had a relationship, the quicker it would end. She'd always felt that way, or at least that was how it was like with her ex. Still, he wasn't her ex and perhaps this time around things would be different ... well, it was already obviously a different sort of relationship between them .... He didn't even pressure her to kiss him! It'd been her that went for it ...

She pretended not to be bothered by such thoughts as she smiled at his courteousness as he allowed her to step into his apartment first. She looked around as he came in behind her and shut the door.

His apartment was surprisingly professional-looking, and expensive-looking despite the fact it was a bit smaller than her own. He had a black futon couch and chair in his living room with a silver base, and a large flat screen television on the wall across from it, just by the door.

By the window was the kitchen, done completely in black marble with dark oak cabinets. It wasn't another room, but was simply divided from the hallway with the countertop. Down the hallway, she assumed, was where his bedroom and bathroom might be.

Beside the kitchen was a small dining room, also with just two chairs like her own, one tucked in and the other out as if he'd just been sitting there.

It didn't seem homey to her, like her own was, but that might just be because this wasn't her home. What caught her eye though, was a fishbowl sitting in the corner of the dining room table, that was home to a small blue and red fighter fish.

She smiled, and leaned over the table to look at it, "Aww," she cooed, as it swam up against the glass, "what's it's name?"

"Steve," Randall said, standing beside her.

She snorted with laughter.

"You find that funny?" he asked, amused.

"Just not a name you'd ordinarily give a fish, that's all," she said, tapping a claw gently on the glass, causing the fish to hide behind the plastic seaweed in it's bowl, but he soon came 'round again, puffing his gills out.

"Can't have any other kind of pet in this building," Randall said, "though I get enough encounters with dogs and cats on the Scare floor- it's enough to make anyone not want one."

"Seriously?" she asked, standing upright, eyes wide, "I'm not much of a dog person ..." she said, "and cats think my tail is a toy," she said, thumbing over to it.

He chuckled, "Well, be glad you haven't met any on the Scare floor yet," he said, "last thing they want to do is play with you. They think the Scarers are intruders and well, basically we are ..."

"Have you ever gotten bitten?" she asked.

He gritted his teeth, "Ehh ... once." he said, holding up his hand to show her the scar that she'd seen earlier but didn't think it was much to ask about. She took his hand in his and he continued, "It's not much; I've seen monsters get hurt much worse," he said.

"At least it's not the same hand I slammed in the door," she said with a humorless chuckle, running her finger gently across the jagged scar.

"Heh, yeah ..." he said, and sighed, "Look- don't get angry at yourself over that again. I told you I had worse."

"How much worse?" she asked, looking up to him and raising an eyebrow.

He laughed humorlessly, "No way - I'm not telling you. I don't want to get you upset."

"Upset? Over you?" she asked sarcastically, with a shake of her head, "You think too highly of yourself." She said with a grin, and folded his fingers gently into a fist before letting him go.

"So ..." he rubbed his neck nervously as he asked awkwardly, "you wanna watch a movie or something?"

She couldn't help but smirk at his embarrassment, and replied simply, "Sure."

He nodded "Right ... um ..." he looked around his TV area, "Haven't got much out here ... I'll find something; hang on," he headed down the hall into his bedroom and swung the door mostly shut behind him with his tail. "You can take a seat if you'd like," he called. She later heard him stumble on something and mutter a swear word to himself, and she couldn't help but giggle.

They watched a movie called Young Frankenstein, the human version (as monsters were able to get ahold of and detoxify some human things for their own usage, but it was often just movies.) There was a monster-fied version out there, but they discovered they both preferred the original much more.

Randall was tired and wound up falling asleep halfway through. Not that the movie had anything to do with it - she'd noticed he'd looked like he was lacking sleep lately, so she didn't wake him. Instead, she nestled herself into the crook of his neck, and continued to watch the film until she too had fallen asleep.

---

They woke up at the same time, in each other's arms. Sandra jumped when she realized this, and quickly began to act casual, "Thankfully it's Saturday or we'd be late for work ..." was all she could come up with.

Randall just chuckled.


(A/N)- Sorry!! Be glad it's moving along. I won't let this die! ... Please review. :3