Hey! I'm back.

See chapter one for the disclaimer. [There's also a end-of-chapter disclaimer I want you to read, but because it ruins stuff that happens in this chapter, that's why it's at the bottom]

Bugs was at Toontown Hospital less than five minutes later, having ran the whole way. He was stopped at the desk by a fierce-looking human-toon with a clipboard, who was clearly expecting him. "You can't go in." She told him. "Mr Avery is having a conversation with Mr Fudd."

Bugs clicked his tongue, impatiently. Trust Avery to be talking to Elmer at the precise moment the bunny needed to speak to him. Muttering under his breath, Bugs plonked himself down in a handy chair and waited.

He waited a long time. After half an hour Bugs grew worried. What was Avery saying? He desperately wanted to go over and listen, but the fierce human-toon kept glaring at him from behind her desk, so he didn't.

After what seemed an age, but was in reality about ten minutes, Avery came through the door into the reception area looking about ten years older. "Ah, Bugs." He said, in a tone that indicated he'd expected the bunny to be there. "Can I borrow you for a moment? It won't take long and it is important." He added, seeing Bugs look at him like he was being deliberately awkward. Bugs took one last look at the door before hurrying over to Avery, folding his arms and waiting. Normally he'd be told of for showing 'impertinence', but Avery seemed to understand and just said, reluctantly. "Has Robert ever...said...anything to you that you feel...uncomfortable with?"

"Nah." Bugs said truthfully. "An' if he did I'd punch 'im in the face." He added, confidently. "Elmer's told you about Robert pinchin' his butt then?" He added, carelessly. The only reason Bugs had mentioned it was because he genuinely thought Elmer would have - what else would he and Avery had been talking about for ages? - but clearly he'd made a faux pas, because Avery grabbed his shoulder and said, urgently.

"What!?"

So Bugs had to spend a further twenty minutes explaining to Avery what Penelope thought had happened, and that, no, he actually didn't know anything himself - he didn't, really - and of coirse if Robert had tried that Bugs would'ave told someone, obviously. No, he didn't think Elmer had done anything to encourage it - did Avery even know him at all!? - Robert was a creep, pure and simple. A clever creep, but still, a creep. No, he didn't know anything else - talk to Penelope! No, not because she'd been...because she knew what had happened, didn't Avery even listen to him? Anyway, Bugs didn't have time to listen to Avery, thank you very much. He was going to see Elmer, goodbye.

When Bugs got into the room, it was to see a very solemn-looking Elmer, who looked at him with wide, amazed eyes and said, in disbelief. "Y-you came?"

Bugs affirmed that of coirse he had come! He'd just heard da love of his life had been rushed to hospital, who wouldn't come!?

Elmer bit his bottom lip and said, slowly. "I'm the wove of your life." Annoyingly, it seemed to be phrased as a question.

"Of coiurse ya are!" Bugs began, in exasperation. then - seeing the human-toon flinch and reminding himself what had happened due to Bugs's own stupidity - the rabbit took a breath and sat down. "What happened?" He asked, as gently as he could. It seemed a sensible place to start, so Bugs was confused when Elmer winced and looked miserable. "I don't want to tawk about it." He muttered.

"Fuddsey-"

"NO! I just spent ages discussing it with Avery, I don't want to tell you!"

Bugs held his hands up. "Okay, okay. I won't ask."

Elmer looked at him in suspicion. Then, making a visible effort to relax, he asked, carefully. "You know, don't you? I can teww." He added, seeing Bugs's react in surprise. "You look furious." With me, were the unsaid words.

Making a controlled effort to not look like he wanted to rip Robert limb from limb, Bugs affirmed that he did, in fact, know. Elmer, in turn, demanded to know how much he knew.

"Oi thought we weren't talkin' about it?"

The human-toon glared. "I just want to know how much you know, because if you awready know what happened thewe's no point in me wowwying about tewwing you, but if you don't know then I need time to think. It's aww pewfectwy simpwe." He added, while Bugs's sat there with a question mark above his head.

After a few seconds, Bugs thought he knew what to say. "You can tell me whenever you're ready!" He said, with both finger guns and a lot more enthusiasm than really befit the situation.

There was a beat. Then a deadpan. "Did you just finger-gun me?" From Elmer.

Bugs closed his hands and laid his hand on his lap. "Yeah, sorry." There was a long, strained pause then Bugs blurted out - with all the grace of a falling anvil. "Why didn't ya tell me?"

Elmer groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Hewe we go." He muttered. "I don't know." He said, plaintively, into his hands.

Bugs opened his mouth but didn't get very far, because Elmer looked up with such a wide-eyed-but-oddly-determined expression that Bugs shut his mouth immediately.

"Actuawwy, I do know." He said, clearly fighting to keep his voice steady. "I wasn't suwe. I...I REAWWY don't want to go into detail, but he...kept saying stuff and I don't know - it sounded innocent. I...got confused. No surprise there." Elmer's voice took on a bitter note. "I seem to get confused about everything recentwt. He kept staring at me." He said, abruptly, to the wall.

"An' dat's bad?" Bugs checked.

Elmer looked at him with such icy eyes, that for a moment Bugs was actually scared.

"You don't believe me." He said. It was a statement.

"No, of coirse I believe ya. It's jus' hard when oi don't know what he did-"

"-Fine!" Elmer exploded. "You want to know what he did, fine!" And then - much to Bugs's surprise - Elmer's eyes dropped down and he stared at Bugs's feet for about two seconds. Then his face crumpled and he burst into tears. The fountain kind.

Bugs immediately got up and sat on the bed next to the human-toon. He automatically went to put an arm round his partner, but Elmer jerked away and hit out, managing to hit Bugs in the arm with a surprising amount of force.

Bugs moved himself away from Elmer and sat at the far end of the bed, watching him uncertainly. He wanted, badly, to put his arms round Elmer and hug his troubles away, but Fuddsey was making it very clear that he didn't want any kind of contact whatsoever, so...

It took a long while but eventually Elmer's breathing started to go back to normal and he seemed to calm down. Bugs took this opportunity to clear his throat and asked, hesitatingly. "W-what do you want me to do?"

Elmer shook his head, taking deep steadying breaths as he did so.

"Oi cahn leave if ya want?"

"No!" The hunter said, shakily. "No. Stay. Please." There was another silence for a few seconds, then Elmer opened his arms.

Bugs hugged him and the two stayed like that until the nurse knocked on the door and told Bugs his time was up.

"Wiww you come back?" Elmer asked, anxiously, as Bugs went to leave.

"Of couirse, Doc." Bugs said, without hesitation. "Oi'll come back tomorrow."

"Also, I-i think A-avewy wants to speak to you." Elmer paused and licked his lips nervously. "We've come up with a sort of plan..." He said, slowly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[The next day in The Directors's office.]

"Ya have got ta be kiddin' me!?" Bugs spluttered as soon as Avery had finished outlining the plan. "Why can't we just fire him!? And put him in jail, like!?"

"We can't put him in jail because although what Elmer has experienced is wrong, it's not technically illegal-" Chuck Jones explained, patiently.

"-Well it should be!"

Jones held his hands up. "We're veering into dangerous territory here, Bugs. The fact is it's NOT illegal, and even if it WAS illegal the court wouldn't admit Penelope's memories as evidence because it's been proven that toons memories can be unreliable. All it would take is for Robert to say he didn't do it and that would be it. Robert would get away scot-free and it would likely be Elmer who suffered. The world Bugs-" Jones added, as he saw his creation open his mouth. "-Is not a kind place. We believe Elmer - mainly if we're honest because of Penelope. We won't be able to put Robert in jail, but what we can do is fire him."

"In the contract." Clampett smoothly took over. "It says a number of things. One of the things it mentions is that no WB employee can cause physical harm to a toon. That was introduced - as you know - after the Parker incident of 48." Clampett said, as if he was discussing something completely normal and not the time an WB employee attempted to kill a bunch of toons after they refused to give him an autograph. "So, as hard as it is, we need Robert to mess up. To cause harm to Elmer so that we have justifiable means for firing him. Otherwise he could sue us."

"Then let 'im sue ya!" Bugs snapped. "Or pay 'im off - ya have enough money!"

"We can't let him sue us." Freleng said, immediately. "Your industry, the cartoon industry, is teetering on the brink as it is. Any scandal could drive it into the grave. And as for paying him off - we could, you're right. But if we did that Taylor could double-cross us. He could go to the papers and Elmer's reputation would be ruined. We wouldn't be able to say we'd had paid him off without us looking extremely bad and maybe facing charges of bribery. There is nothing stopping him from going to the papers, Bugs." Freleng reiterated. "He would ruin us all. But if we can get evidence - catch him red-handed - then that would be it. We would have justifiable means to fire him and there is a clause in the contract that says if he's fired he can't go to the papers. If he does we can then sue him and for a LOT of money. We're talking at the very least $200,000. More likely it would be more. No sane person would justify it. That is why we need Elmer to set himself up as bait, so to speak."

"We'll be there." Avery said. "In one way or another. Next week is a company holiday. Most employees won't be in. The only ones here will be us directors and toons. And Robert doesn't seem to be to concerned about you toons. If we all work together we can catch him red-handed. We'll require yours and Daffy's help though. It may be that we need to get to Elmer quickly and you two can teleport. And you'll be good at calming him down. Just do me a favour and try not to hit Robert. We don't want to give him any grounds to try and pull one over on us."

There was a long silence during which Bugs weighed up his options. Then, after about five minutes, Bugs said, slowly. "Okay. Oi'll do it."

So...further disclaimer. The laws relating to Toons I've made up. The stuff about sextual harassment not being illegal is, I believe, right at the time this is set in. I don't think sextual harassment, as we know it, became illegal until the 70's. I also have NO IDEA about WB's rules about employees going to the paper and whistleblowing and stuff. I. Have. Made. All. This. Up. Okey? Great, thanks.