Disclaimer: Story will end a little over a year since it started, but that doesn't surprise me. It could've ended months sooner, but I took my time writing/uploading these chapters. Nothing wrong with patience.

GoldGuardian2418: It definitely explains some of her behavior and abilities, stuff that wasn't there at the start. But really, you are right. Even without the ink, Nicky probably wouldn't mind calling them her brothers. They slowly developed a closeness during the first journey, and the ink and the later trips only enforced it.

I don't own Bendy or Cuphead.

"Speaking"

Thinking

"Reading"

"... ouch." Kate winced, taking a moment to allow her brain to register the ceiling above her. Spinning was not a good sign. "I... really can't catch a break, can I?" How many times now have I been unconscious and woke up somewhere else? Enough that she lost count, that's what.

"Nope." Orange eyes darted to Bendy, sitting at the edge of the bed, and swinging his legs back and forth. "Been a few days, but it's great to have ya back up and movin'." A few days? She hadn't been that out of it since being held hostage by Allison and Tom. "What do ya remember, Kate?" Remember?

"... it's foggy," she said, voice surprisingly low. "Bits and pieces; from when Dice and the boss came into to hiding out in the depths of the casino."

"You stuck a ton of imps to the ceiling." She did? Huh... that's weird. "I, uh... am also to blame for this." Bendy sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I should've known that this was botherin' ya still. Shouldn't have been wanderin' around as much as I did. Guess I just... was so excited to be out of the studio and see new stuff that I didn't give it much thought." He knew things, but he didn't experience them. It was hard to blame him for not getting excited.

"It's not your fault, Ben." Kate looked around, and smiled at the elastic sitting on the stand next to her. Snatching it up, she dragged her hair to the side and began the tedious work of braiding it. It was a familiar action, comforting. Regardless of what her hands looked like, the technique was still the same. "I... I should've been honest. It's-I thought Allison wanted me to be this... savior. This beacon of hope, and for a time, I was. I stopped the Ink Demon, but I... it's..." she winced again. "It's so hard."

"She should never have put that pressure on ya," he said, glowering. "Savior-pfft! You're as much as a victim as they were." As you were.

"Did they say when they'll be back?" Bendy shrugged, falling backwards and landing atop her legs, arms spread out. "... Nicky knows, doesn't she?"

"Filled her in on a lot, but she managed to piece together a fair bit of it herself." His head rolled to the side, staring up at her. "She went to the studio. Said she found all of the tapes in the throne room."

"She went to the-throne room?" Kate tilted her head to the side, securing the elastic and letting the braid fall freely from her hands. "But who'd go there?" Throne room. It was... probably one of the easiest locations to get to. It was a straight shot down those chains to the absolute bottom of the studio. If she could ascend, why wouldn't the same go for the opposite?

"From the way she described the ink monster, I'd reckon it was Jack Fain. He must've gotten curious and watched your actions and decided to search for the tapes himself." He paused. "There's also Sean. His ink form is a lot bigger than Jack's, but I doubt that. You never met him."

"Without Inky, it'd be a lot easier for them to move around without fear of death." Him, Alice, and Sammy, and Norman. It was safer for everyone. "Bendy... there's really nothing we can do to help them, is there?"

"... 'fraid not, toots." Was it weird to say she missed the nicknames? His snide remarks? They weren't as constantly around each other in this new world. They explored by themselves, and if she wasn't working, she was either alone, or possibly being followed by King Dice. "Unless you decide ya wanna commit some arson, there's nothin' we can do."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Burning down the studio. Horrible idea. Awful. As much as she wanted to free them, setting everything ablaze would be far from a peaceful option, and would attract too much attention. A pat on her knee, and Bendy's grin stretched. Was it genuine? No. It was obvious he was trying to cheer her up.

"Hey, c'mon now. Let's getcha outta that girly dress and back into somethin' that you'd actually wear." That was something she could get behind. I'll take any distraction right now.

Nicky smiled behind her water glass, taking in the cool liquid. Refreshing, clean. How she missed something like this days earlier. When she was inhaling the tainted air of Joey Drew's abandoned business. "You know, doll face, you're a lot calmer now."

"Way to speak the obvious, Dice." She struggled not to laugh at Devil's blunt statement, sitting the glass down on the table. It felt... exclusive. Special, being in the demon's home. There was no work going on in the casino that day, and it felt nice to relax. A mutual understanding, and she felt herself accepted into this special circle of Inkwell Hell. "Has she woken up yet?"

"She should be up any time now. Once she does, we'll be taking the others back and regrouping at her house... gotta explain to our parents what happened." Dice sat down his wine glass, raising a brow at Nicky's hesitance.

"Would havin' someone from the Isles help at all?" What, like you? She did appreciate the gesture, but...

"Probably would make things worse, no offence. Allison said it was rough having Linda come around to the three of them. While they must've seen Cuphead and Mugman already, I don't want to drag those two into this mess. It's a family problem, that those three just happened to be stuck in the middle of." Poor Henry. It all came back to him, and his boss... his boss. "I want your opinion, both of you. Be honest." Nicky waited for the demon to nod from his spot in the kitchen, still fishing around for a new bottle of booze to drink. "Do you... think it's worth trying to get back at Joey Drew? Have him pay for what he did to Kate, Henry-everyone he's wronged?"

"Man's a murderer," Devil grumbled, stalking back over to the table and sitting next to Dice. "If he was here, I'd already have a nice place laid out for him."

"I take it you don't see people like him around here very often." He nodded, taking a swig of the bottle. "Allison told me a bit about what he looked like. Thirty years has not been kind to him. Old, drained. But... that spark was still in his eyes. She said his face had a... look about it, when he saw Bendy."

"Darlin', no one's going to believe you." She knew that. She knew that very well.

"Yeah, but... it doesn't feel right though." The tape. It still sat in her bag, in her cozy room back at the brothers' house. Her... brothers' house. Heh... it was definitely going to take some time to get used to that. Maybe not too much. It felt natural, calling them that. It was just addressing other things that they were associated with she was stuck on. "You're the Devil. What do you suggest?"

"Me?" He sat down the bottle, already half empty. "Let him rot, dame. He doomed himself the moment he decided to mess with the unnatural. Whether or not he pays for it now, he'll certainly be payin' for it in the next life."

"Unnatural," Nicky repeated the word. "You know, I... never really did figure out the whole truth of the Isles. I know about how everyone was made, Calix Animi, how there is literally nothing but the islands... but I don't know how this place came to be. How that book came into being." Dice must know about the Calix Animi. I wouldn't put it past the Devil to let him in on stuff like this.

"You think this world's dark magic?" She shook her head at Dice's question.

"No, if it was, it wouldn't be so cheerful... besides this place we're at, of course. I... I like to think that..." it was an assumption, but a rather nice one. A pleasant thought. "... that animation is made with a bit of the creator's soul. On one of my visits to check on Kate, Bendy talked with a bit of fondness for Henry. Like he was his dad. Talked about being abandoned, being trapped in the studio all those years, how Kate came. Everything."

He didn't stop. Except for a few angry outbursts and wet inky tears, Bendy trucked on through his tale. "He never met Bendy until that time, but there's a... a spark. A draw to each other. I like to think that this book-all of you-was what Joey tried to accomplish but never did."

"Created real toons?" Nicky nodded again, and Dice polished off his wine glass. "... any more details on that assumption of yours?"

"Whoever created the book somehow created this world. Although the events written in the pages would takes centuries to happen. So life went on, and so much depth was built into the drawings they made as they created their lives. Wars, history, friendships. Everything was so much deeper than what was on the surface." She laughed, wrapping both hands around the glass and stared down at the rippling water. "That book-this world... all of you... have a soul." Something that... Bendy lacks. But he was no monster. He was a victim, just like every other worker. He was his own being. "It's beautiful."

She looked up, and took note of their faces. Devil didn't seem all too interested in her ramblings, though the talk about souls had him staring at her with a look she couldn't quite place. Dice, on the other hand, was fully focused on Nicky. A pleased smile, with a quick flash of green in his eyes. I wonder... if they know more than they let on. "Now then, Nicky, I suppose we better be gettin' you back to the clinic. You have a fair drive ahead of you."

"Yeah... sort of abandoned ship and threw myself here the moment I saw the note." Forget classes. If she got an unexcused absence, it wasn't the end of the world. Her mom and dad on the other hand... oh boy, she feared that panic. "Really hope my car didn't get towed," Nicky mumbled, eyes widening at the idea. That'd be bad.

"As long as those boys and my manager are back in time for tomorrow night, I could care less what you do." Dice stood up, and Nicky passed her glass over to him to put in the sink. Care less? I'm pretty sure he's your only friend. Even with the insults and the occasional fight, Dice was faithful. He hadn't abandoned the demon... which she still had no idea why he didn't up and leave. He never took his soul. What's holding him here? "Don't take too long." What is your story, Dice?

"Of course." He moved back to stand alongside her, waiting for the woman to remove herself from the chair and stand up. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." She gripped his sleeve, and the world flipped. Wind rushing around her, and the duo was spat out into a hallway. Her knees bent on impact, and Nicky straightened herself when she was certain she wasn't going to fall over. Barely a stumble. "Now will you teach me how to warp?"

"Why, it would appear I'll have to. But I will admit, I'd like to see a bit more of your skills before we jump to that." She shrugged, releasing his jacket. "Come now. I want to give you something before we go meet with your cousin." He started off down the hall, and with a pause, Nicky followed. "... this is familiar, ain't it?"

"Very." It reminded the both of us of our first meeting. Bidding the Devil farewell before being whisked away by King Dice to better enforce her disguise. "Hey... Dice?"

"Yes?" He stopped in front of a door, fishing into his pocket for a key and inserted it into the lock. "What is it?"

The door swung open, and a lump formed in Nicky's throat at the sight before them. Door-she should have noticed it earlier. What other place would he have a key for? His bedroom... oof. "Dice...?"

"Took a while to clean it off." He moved inside and over to his dresser, the human slowly following behind him. "But I figured y'all enjoy havin' this back." The toon turned back to her, and she struggled to hide the tiny smile at the sight of the headband in his grip.

"I honestly had no idea it got left behind." All she felt was the rope, ink, and temperature changes. If it came off, it was probably when she threw herself into the husk. "Thanks." Nicky plucked it from his hands, and slid it back onto her head. "Hmmm..." stepping back, she glanced at the massive mirror that sat atop the dresser. It matched nicely with her current outfit. She hadn't worn the green dress that much, so she was pleased it matched the striped straw. "Not bad."

... he's staring again. From the corner of her eye, in the reflection, she saw his eyes were on her. Giving her happy expression his own fond smile. "... Dice?" She didn't say anything more than his name, but the message was clear. A few seconds slipped by, and his face shifted slightly, moving from her reflection and back to her. Slowly, he moved closer to her, and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Heh... I know, Nicky. Acted poorly back then, and I assume you haven't forgiven me for that." Nicky didn't nod or shake her head. He was right though. She hadn't forgiven him for his past actions.

"And you've... accepted that." He was still tender in his behavior, but everything else had more or less stopped. He helped introduce her to magic, was a decent co-worker, and helped keep an eye on Kate when she had left. He didn't have to, but... he did. "It's still taking a while, but I'm pretty sure you can tell that wall of mine's gone down a bit."

"I can, same as that one y'all put up between you and your cousin. Not that I'm too bothered by the first one-don't blame ya for never fully tearing that down, but..." he patted Nicky's shoulder. "... gotta say, I'm proud of you."

Proud of me? "Heh... thanks... King." If his face didn't brighten enough at just having this conversation, hearing his first name come out of her mouth did the trick. Bet you never thought you'd hear that again, huh? "By the way, I am curious. Is King your real name, or is it a shortened version of something?"

"Only person who knows that answer is the boss, doll," he replied, giving a smirk. "Maybe try askin' again at a later date."

Nicky rolled her eyes. "Oh, like how you ended up at the casino?"

"Precisely." It was about as frustrating as the book's mystery. But then again, it was his past. She got very personal about hers in a moment of weakness. She could be patient. "... wanna see your magic with your eyes actually open before you leave?"

"Oh, hell yes." He removed his hand, and held out both palms. In turn, she placed the backs of her hands in his, raising a brow at how small her hands were compared to his. "Focus, right?"

"Just think on how ya want it to form." Think... feel... don't try to hard, Nick... you got this. She had this.

... warmth. That same feeling, the same sensation from the Isles crept around her, and she had failed at hiding the awed gasp as the light flowed out of her skin. Bouncing off her face, and swirling around hers and Dice's hands. The color nearly matched his pink magic, except the hue was paler, and tinged red. Far from the blue the brothers' used. This was all her own.

This was her power.

"Knew you could do it." She smiled, experimentally flexing her fingers. It danced around the joints, rising and falling with each action and each breath she took. Yet, on closer inspection, she saw how her skin appeared... brighter. The crinkles faint, and matching more like the odd appearance Bendy and company had when they entered the Isles. "Ya know, you'd probably look like those cupfaces if you were a toon. Since ya got their ink and all."

"Probably. Be terrified if I was though. The fractures on their faces were a lot easier to see in my world." Nicky paused, and glanced up at him. "... are you sure you're fine? Not having that fixed?" He shrugged, retracting one hand and reaching up to the chip in his head. "It probably wouldn't be too hard to get someone to look at it."

"Heh. Don't be frettin' over me, dear. I'd like to think it's... servin' as a reminder." She nodded, letting the glow fade away as she lowered her hands. Reminder, huh...? "Are ya ready to go home?" Ready? Heh. Who was ever ready in this place?

She left the buttons undone on her patterned vest, and nodded at the bathroom's reflection. It was nice, wearing something she brought from home. It was familiar, and far suited her more than the casino's uniform. Nodding to herself, Kate tapped her toes against the floor, ensuring that her feet were in all the way before exiting the small room. "Much better." Hmm? The trio stood in front of the bed, and Allison nodded in her own approval. "It's nice to see you're up."

"A-Allison..." oh, how she wanted to just run out of the room. Put as much distance between her and the woman. "I... did Bendy...?" The hybrid moved forward, and Kate stiffened as she entered her person space. "... I'm so sorry."

"Kate, you have nothing to apologize for." A calm hand rested against her cheek, and she had to fight to look her in the eyes. "I shouldn't have pushed you so hard." She sighed, biting her lip. "I... forgot, that you were trapped just like the of us." Sensing how uncomfortable she was making the younger woman, Allison backed up. "I also should have expected that you weren't well after all that we went through."

"Allison, none of us were well. We all sort of stuck to our own duos." Her and Tom, and her and Bendy. No one really trusted each other, and even within their own groups, there was tension. "Maybe... we can help each other. Talk about what we went through, how we can move past this." Because if talking to Archie proved anything, was that only a select few would truly know what horrors she experienced. He was great for a listening ear, and he had good advice, but the oddball crew needed to work together to get past the studio's remaining hold.

"Only thing you four can do." Kate spun around, fighting back a dropping jaw. When did she... how did she get here? "As much as I want to help, a lot of this just... is impossible to understand without experiencing it. I only learned so much through the tapes."

Kate nodded mutely, still staring at her and Dice. The door never opened. The longer haired woman knew that the manager had powers she hadn't seen yet. Was this one of them? Teleporting? "Take your time. We can wait." Nicky nodded with a smile as he patted her on the shoulder. Giving a quick survey around the room, with eyes staying on Kate for a few seconds more, he vanished into the floor behind her cousin.

"... so he teleports." The frizzy haired woman snorted at Kate's statement, and moved over to her. "You have the book?"

"Grabbed it before I went to the casino." She slid her bag off and pulled it out. There's a tape in her bag, she noted, right before Nicky closed it up one was it? "We'll wind up back where I parked the car-be warned, we will be squished if we all leave at once. I recommend taking turns. One at a time, so we all appear in our respective seating."

"Our parents are going to flip over this." Nicky shrugged, and began shuffling through the pages. "They were a wreck when I turned up after missing for days."

"Any idea on how mine reacted?" She had to think that over. Her parents had spoken to them without her input. The exact details, she had no idea. It was a mystery. So Kate settled on giving her own shrug.

"Let's head out then." She looked over her shoulder, the simple look enough to have Tom and Bendy join the three women. "Oh." Turning back to Nicky, she asked, "what about Cuphead and Mugman? Do they know you're going home?"

"They do. Cuphead was disappointed, but compared to the earlier times I had to go back, it was a lot easier to convince him." He didn't like you doing it? Perhaps it was him fearing she wouldn't come back. Or that something would happen to him and his brother and she wouldn't know. "But given everything that we just went through, we know I'll be coming back."

"All of us will." Wait, we're not-! The glow. That same light began to lift itself up from the pages, dancing around Nicky's arms. She glanced down as it travelled up her arms, and she shot Kate a small smile. "See you in a few minutes?"

"I look forward to it."

"Linda, please, stop pacing. You're going to wear a hole in the floor." Linda paused mid-step, throwing a look at her husband.

"I will not," she said, frowning. "Your sister and her husband are trying to contact Nicole, no one is picking up." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Henry, I don't need this sort of stress. Demons, and cults, and alternate worlds-how could they go through all of this? Why won't they tell us anything?"

"... I don't know about Nicky, but Kate went through something traumatic. Allison won't tell me anything either. They only speak to each other." Why do you think Bendy sleeps with her? They were scarred. The three toons had been around for decades, trapped with the horrors his old boss had shoved in there. Kate was just the cherry on the inky ice cream. "Dot called me yesterday evening. Nicky went back to check in with the others."

"Do you think something happened?" Henry didn't respond, only staring out at the window. "... Henry?"

"... I never was told why Joey wanted me to come back," he said softly. "Kate never explained why, and neither did Bendy. Do you think I could have done something? If I acted differently back then?"

"Oh, Henry." A soft hand rested on his cheek, and he looked up at his wife's concerned face. "Nothing you could have done would have prevented this." She was... right. But still, if it wasn't for his job in animation... Kate and Nicky... "stop that. You're not responsible for how those two acted."

"Heh... where would I be without you, Linda?" She smiled, though it didn't light up her entire face. "Come on. Let's try calling her again and seeing if she's out of that bo-"

A knock. A steady knock on their door. The two adults looked at each other, and hurried over to the house's entrance. Kate? He opened it, and had to fight back the relieved and thrilled laugh from breaking free.

"H-hey, Uncle Henry. Aunt Linda." Nicky waved shyly, her other hand tightly wrapped around Kate's right. On her left, Bendy was hanging off her arm, the two giving their own relaxed smiles. Allison and Tom nodded at the two of them; the wolf's arm carried the cup brothers' book. "We're... back? Hehe... you missed us?"

We're pretty much at the end here. Next chapter has a bit of a time skip, so just throwing that out there before we get to it. But if I am right, the next update is actually the end of this crossover sequel.

Until next time!

Angel